An elephant calf collapsed ‘with exhaustion’ while tied to its mother as she gave rides to tourists in eastern Thailand last week.
The animal, believed to be around a year old, was attached to its mother by the neck with a length of rope in Pattaya.
In the clip, filmed by a concerned tourist, onlookers can be heard saying ‘oh no he’s tired’ as the baby rolls on the ground as temperatures approached 40C.
He then stands up and scampers away to keep up with the adult at the Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens.
This elephant calf, believed to be around a year old, was filmed after reportedly collapsing with exhaustion
The animal was chained to its mother who was giving tourists rides in Pattaya, eastern Thailand. A concerned tourist filmed the baby elephant rolling along the ground
She was with friends spending their vacation in the area when the incident happened.
In the clip, he then stands up and scampers away to keep up with the adult at the Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens, who have denied that the elephant was tired or mistreated
After a day in labour, or two in some cases, the sac drops out, breaking and releasing the calf and a lot of fluid.
A family of elephants rejoiced after a calf was born on Christmas day, at Planckendael Zoo in Belgium
The birth was filmed by the zoo which showed the elephants surrounding the mother and calf in the stall.
As soon as the baby was born, the mother, and those assisting her, scraped dirt and grass over damp spots so the smell won’t attract predators.
The baby elephant clings to its mother May Tagu who may have carried the calf for up to 660 days, which is the average gestation period of an elephant
When the baby elephant is finally born, it can weigh around 200 lbs (91 kg) and stand about 3 feet (1 m) tall
Caretaker Ben Van Dyck said: ‘During the day, we understood that it was not going to take much time. We noticed it from the quality of (May’s) stools. (So) they decided to put a team on the night watch’.
‘After 20-25 minutes (after the birth), we noticed that the baby could already stand up and was making its first steps – always with two (elephants) bodyguards next to it.
‘It was fantastic. This is fantastic news for the team in charge of taking care of the elephant, certainly the best Christmas present for Planckendael (Zoo).’
After the family rub dirt all over the newborn, to warn predators off the smell, the calf will try to stand on its four legs
Unlike other newborns, the baby elephant wakes up, savvy enough to try and stand up by itself, and take shelter under an adult elephant.
Elephant pregnancies last the longest, totaling up to 23 months, which is roughly around 95 weeks.
Adult elephants welcome the baby by tapping the baby’s trunk with their own trunk