On Wednesday, a mother elephant and her calf were rescued after being trapped for 48 hours in a six-meter-deep mud hole in Randilen WMA, Northern Tanzania.
The baby elephant and her mother were spotted by the Honeyguide Aircraft on a routine aerial surveillance patrol, the pilot called in the Randilen ranger patrol that was nearby with the coordinates of the elephants.
Christopher John, Randilen WMA Anti-Poaching Commander who headed the rescue team arrived within 30 minutes and realized that he would need help, he spoke to Meshurie Melembuki, the Randilen WMA manager for advice. Meshurie called in volunteers from the local community as they decided the only way to rescue the elephant would be to dig the banks of the well and create a ramp for the elephant to walk out. After nine hours of nonstop digging all night, the elephants were finally able to walk up the ramp and were free to rejoin the family herd that was nearby.
“It was a tough job but our passion for our wildlife pushed us to finish the job.” said Meshurie Melembuki, Manager of Randilen CWMA
