A newborn baby elephant is a symbol of hope and new beginnings. It represents the future of a herd and the promise of continued life and survival. However, sometimes even the most innocent of creatures are subjected to ᴄʀᴜᴇʟᴛʏ and rejection. This was the case for a baby elephant who was born into a herd but was rejected and ᴀᴛᴛᴀᴄᴋᴇᴅ by his mother.
His name is ZhuangZhuang, and he was born at Shendiaoshan Wildlife Sanctuary in Rong-cheng, China. Little Zhuang was not only rejected by his mother, but she also sᴛᴏᴍᴘᴇᴅ him to ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ, leaving him with ɪɴᴊᴜʀɪᴇs. The incident was unusual because the mother elephant accompanies its offspring until they can make it themselves.
At first, their handlers thought it was just a misunderstanding between the mother and newborn baby. They healed the calf’s ᴡᴏᴜɴᴅs and returned him to his mother. However, the ᴅᴀɴɢᴇʀ was imminent, and the elephant’s mother ᴀᴛᴛᴀᴄᴋᴇᴅ her little boy again.
After being convinced that the calf could no longer stay with his mother without being ʜᴜʀᴛ, they decided to separate them. Although this decision was made to protect the calf from further physical ɪɴᴊᴜʀɪᴇs, emotional ᴅᴀᴍᴀɢᴇ has already been done.
The handlers tried to calm little Zhuang, but nobody expected what would happen after the separation. The calf cried for more than five hours! Separation anxiety and feeling rejected filled Zhuang’s heart, and the sound of his cry was heartbreaking.
“He was furious and cried for five hours before I could comfort him. He couldn’t stand being separated from his mother. The same mother tried to ᴋɪʟʟ him,” said one worker.
Elephant expert Julia S. Ferdinand and Zoology and Ecology Doctor Andrea Worthington explained the reason for this unusual incident a little further.
“In a herd of elephants in the wild, all herd members grow up caring for all their younger calves. They effectively learn to be parents with the support of their family who are with them all the time.”
Specialists add other exciting facts about the behavior of elephant mothers. Elephants give birth surrounded by their relatives and usually choose “nurses” among their families who help them raise babies, but this usually happens only to elephants in the wild.
“Living in captivity outside of traditional family groups can interfere with the maternal protective instincts of animals towards their children,” they explained. This happened with ZhuangZhuang, and things worsened because he was the first-born calf.
“If she is a first-time mother, she may be afraid and, due to the ᴘᴀɪɴ of childbirth, an inexperienced mother can ᴀᴛᴛᴀᴄᴋ or ʜᴀʀᴍ her baby, intentionally or otherwise. If in the wild, its relatives will help during childbirth, allowing it to reduce the ᴘᴀɪɴ and give birth slowly,” the experts said.
Fact: She may not be a bad mother, but elephants affected by birth and in captivity are challenging to manage, especially without the help of their relatives. Fortunately, one of the handlers had a special relationship with Zhuang and managed to calm him.
In a world where animals are often subject to ᴄʀᴜᴇʟᴛʏ and neglect, it is heartening to hear stories like this one, which remind us that there is still hope for the future of our planet’s wildlife. It is up to all of us to do our part to protect and care for these creatures, and to ensure that they have the opportunity to thrive and live full, happy lives, just like the baby elephant who overcame so much to find his place in the world.
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