Baby elephant facing starvation rescued as it stands over its dead mother who was killed for her ivory tusks
A baby elephant who faced starvation after its mother was killed for her ivory tusks was dramatically rescued as she stood over her body.
Ten month old Roi, a female calf, was spotted standing by the dead animal, which had been killed by a poison spear in the plains of the Masai Mara, Kenya.
Just 24 hours earlier, the endangered animals had been photographed playing happily together.
Witnesses who saw the dead elephant contacted a wildlife charity, which managed to charter a plane to rescue the calf before it left the body.
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"It’s extremely rare for an orphan to found next to a poached mother," said Amie Alden from the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, which launched the rescue operation.
Roi, who had been rejected for feeding by the other adult females in its distressed herd, faced starving to death.
She is now being looked after at the charity's nursery in Nairobi, which is home to 30 other victims of poaching and human wildlife conflict.
Jump to 1:35 to watch the rescue: