Mother elephant tries to wake unconscious calf (video)
This video shows the heartbreaking moment when a mother elephant tried to wake her unconscious calf.
The baby elephant had been put to sleep for an operation after it was wounded by a poacher's snare in the Olare Motorogi Conservancy in Kenya.
A routine security patrol noticed a young calf, estimated to be a two-year-old male, with a poacher's wire snare around one of its back legs.
See also: Picture of sleeping baby elephant goes viral
The Conservancy called the David Sheldrick Wildlfe Trust which was able to send a Kenya Wildlife Service vet to the scene to help the poor animal.
The baby elephant was then shot with a tranquiliser dart so it can be approached and helped.
See also: Cute baby elephant rescued by mum after getting stuck in a ditch
The sound of the dart prompted the rest of the herd to quickly disappear - but not all of them left.
The footage shows the baby elephant's mother desperately trying to wake up the tiny calf as he lay on the ground.
This meant the team were unable to approach the baby as the mother became increasingly protective of her calf.
To ensure everyone's safety the mother also had to be shot with a tranquiliser dart to relax her.
With the rest of the heard watching the vet and his team had to act quickly - especially given that snares can tighten over time, cutting into the animal's flesh and causing horrific injuries.
Luckily this snare was removed before any damage could be done to the baby elephant.
Soon after the two elephants can be seen waking up and rejoining their heard.
The conservancy covers an area of 33,000 acres directly next to the Masai Mara National Reserve in south west Kenya and it is home to a large elephant population.
The Sky Vet program is a joint venture between the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and the Kenya Wildlife service.
The program enables vets to help animals who are ill or injured in remote locations
Since it was started in 2013 it has saved over 100 elephants as well as many other injured animals.
