In a charming moment captured at a Thai elephant sanctuary, a young elephant enthusiastically approached a visitor for a cuddle, offering a playful interaction that delighted everyone watching The video shows a woman seated on the muddy ground when, unexpectedly, a baby elephant bounds over, eager to make her acquaintance. The audience can’t help but laugh as the calf cozily settles on her lap. A bystander comments that the woman seems to be enjoying the unusual encounter. However, the calf’s boundless energy keeps it moving around, occasionally shifting in ways that look a little uncomfortable for the woman. She smiles and strokes the baby elephant as it readjusts onto her thighs, embracing the affectionate moment. But when the calf rolls backward onto her shins, she lets out a soft “ow,” prompting a nearby person to step in and lend a hand. Unperturbed, the little elephant soon rolls f...
In a dramatic encounter captured on camera, a protective rhino mother took on a herd of 15 elephants to defend her calf.
Despite being outnumbered, the mother rhino fearlessly stood her ground before charging at the elephants, sending them fleeing in all directions.
The intense standoff was photographed by carpenter Martin Meyer, who witnessed the event while visiting a national park in South Africa.
According to Meyer, the confrontation occurred in mid-January when a group of elephants, including a matriarch, younger elephants, and subadult bulls, approached the rhino and her calf.
“When the elephants were about 20 meters away, the mother rhino suddenly sprinted toward them, with her calf close behind,” Meyer described. The elephants, caught off guard, scattered in a cloud of dust.
After recovering from the shock, the elephant herd regrouped and slowly advanced toward the mother and her calf, seemingly trying to intimidate them. Some younger bulls even circled the pair, adding to the tension.
For over three minutes, the rhino mother and the matriarch of the elephant herd stared each other down. The standoff ended when the rhino let out a low snort and walked over the hill with her calf.
Though the length of the mother rhino’s horn is unknown, white rhinos can have horns that grow over a meter and a half long.
Female white rhinos can weigh up to two tonnes, while fully grown female African elephants can weigh nearly three tonnes.
Despite the size difference, the rhino mother’s determination to protect her young was enough to send the larger elephants into retreat.
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