I drove the Land Rover in closer and beamed the headlights onto the scene to help them, watching in awe as the elephants never gave up. They had been trying for nearly twelve hours now. Their persistence was absolutely phenomenal. The Marines may have a saying ‘leave no one behind’, but these elephants could even have taught them a thing or two.
Towards midnight the baby was pitifully weakened and I resigned myself to the fact that not only was she not going to make it, but there was nothing I could do. I called out a goodbye, saying I would be back, then drove back up to the house and went to bed, expecting the worst when I woke.
When I returned the next morning as dawn broke, incredibly the herd was still there, still trying to get the now almost completely limp body to stand. I couldn’t believe it; the dedication of these magnificent creatures was beyond comprehension. My respect for them and what they were doing was infinite.
The sun started climbing and by 10 a.m. I knew we werein for another steamer. And still they continued. But what more could they do? I knew the baby was finished.
A few minutes later, Nana backed off a few paces for the first time and stood alone, as if assessing the situation. She then turned and walked off without stopping. Her trunk dragged, her shoulders stooped, a portrait of dejection. The decision had been made. Nana knew that they had done what they could. She knew it was all over. Despite their best efforts, the baby was unable to stand and thus wouldn’t survive.
The rest of the herd followed and were soon out of sight on their way to the river to slake their arid gullets. They had been on wilderness ER for more than twenty-four hours without drink or rest. Few humans could match that.
Yet Nandi stayed behind. As the mother, she would be there to the end, protecting her baby from hyenas or other predators. She manoeuvred her crippled daughter in her shadow and stood still, head down, exhausted, resigned to her firstborn’s fate, but determined to protect the infant to its last breath.
I studied the baby through the binoculars, certain she was now dead. Then almost imperceptibly, I saw her head move. My heart pounded with excitement. She’s still alive, barely, but still alive! And with the herd gone, another crazy plan came into my head.
I sped to the house and loaded a large open container on the back of the Landy, filled it with water, and threw in a bag of fresh-hewn alfalfa. Brendan summoned the rangers.
‘OK, guys,’ I said, ‘this is what’s going to happen. I’m going to try and reverse right up to Nandi, give her a sniff of the water and alfalfa, and then slowly move off to try and draw her away from the baby. She hasn’t had a drink or anything to eat for twenty-four hours and she’s been baking in the sun solidly. She’s starving and thirsty, so she may just follow me. There’s a sharp corner in the roadabout thirty yards off, and if she follows me there she won’t be able to see the baby. That’s when I want you guys to sneak in from the other side, get in as fast as possible, load up the baby and then speed off.’
I paused for a moment, scanning their eager faces. ‘But if Nandi sees you taking her baby, there won’t be enough of you left for me to bury. So if you’re not comfortable with this, don’t come with me. It’s bloody dangerous. I really mean that.’
There wasn’t a moment’s hesitation. ‘We’re in,’ was the unanimous reply.
I nodded my thanks. ‘OK. I’ve phoned the vet and he’s on his way with a drip as the baby will be dangerously dehydrated. I have also put a mattress in the back of the truck for her.’
We quickly drove down, got into position, went over every aspect of the plan once again and then tested our radios. ‘We’ve only got one chance,’ I reminded them. ‘As I said earlier, if Nandi catches you near the baby you’re in big trouble. Reverse in so you can drive out of there forward if she sees you. One driver, two in the back to load the baby.’
I at least had some protection as Nandi knew me and I was carrying food and water, but how she would react with her lame baby right there was anybody’s guess. However, for the rangers, it was a different story entirely. Nandi didn’t know them and on top of that they were stealing her baby. They could expect no mercy.
I got in the Land Rover and started reversing towards Nandi, calling out to her as I got closer to let her know it was me. Her first reaction was uncharacteristic. She moved between the baby and the approaching Landy and then charged, trumpeting loudly to scare me away, kicking up a cloud of dust. She had never come at me before so I stopped and leaning out of my window started talking to her soothingly.As she walked back, I gently started reversing again, only to prompt another noisy stampede. I kept talking and the third time I reversed, her charge had no steam at all and as she turned away I saw her physically jolt as she got the unbearably intoxicating scent of fresh water and food. She stopped and turned.
‘Come, baba,’ I called gently, ‘come, beautiful girl, come on. You’re hot; you haven’t had anything to eat and drink for twenty-four hours. Come to me.’
She paused and then tentatively took a few steps forward, ears straight out, hesitantly checking everything, and then walked up and dipped her trunk into the trough and sucked in a yard of water which she squirted messily into her mouth, spilling it everywhere in her haste.
