A young elephant rescued from a muddy pit near Lake Kariba after being stuck in mud for 24 hours while the rest of the concerned herd of elephants stood nearby as the youngster floundered in the mud.
On Friday morning, a safety officer from the Lake Harvest fish farm, Kariba found the young elephant and reported the incident to the Kariba Animal Welfare Trust.
A bulldozer carefully dug away the sides of the pit to create an exit path as the animal lay motionless and caked in mud. Even as the pit was levelled to create an exit the young elephant did not move, so rescuers poured water over the animal to encourage it to move.
Kariba Animal Welfare Trust commented:
" We mostly always imagine the worst when going into a wild animal situation. It was a pleasure to again have the best outcome as we watched the rescued individual walk away to find the rest of the family, thanks to great teamwork again - ZIMPARKS - LAKE HARVEST - MASIMBA CONTRACTORS, Grader & brilliant driver !!"