Across Africa, from Namibia to Uganda, elephant babies are trying
to keep their heads above water, trying to suckle, to keep up with the herd, to make it to adulthood. But one third of baby elephants will die
in this first year of life. And sometimes the threat
to a baby's survival comes from within the herd. It's been a good year. The elephant herds of Uganda
are increasing. In the 1980s, they were poached to
the brink of extinction in the country.
Now there are more than 5000 individuals. The land is green. There's plenty to eat. Newborns are almost lost in the grass. It takes a whole herd
to raise a baby elephant. Female elephants help look after
each other's calves. It's called alloparenting. In the process, young females
learn how to care for their siblings and calves are given
a better chance of survival. The babies are born
after almost two years of gestation. This long development time
gives them another survival advantage. They can stand and walk
immediately after birth so they can reach their mother's milk. They will rely on it for the first year. Each day, the baby elephant gains almost
1kg, or two pounds of body weight. Scientists have discovered that
the composition of elephant milk differs from that of all other mammals, as well as being different
for Asian and African elephants. It actually changes as the baby grows.
The protein, mineral and fat content
increases during lactation, providing more energy as the baby develops. But despite the best care a herd can offer, about one third of baby elephants
will die in this first year of life. They will never reach adulthood. There are many threats. Water, the thing elephants need the most
can also kill them. Adults need to drink up to 189 liters,
or 50 gallons a day. Despite the raging torrent,
the family has to cross, but babies can't swim
until they're several months old. Adults have evolved ways
to push their young along. They used their trunks like arms
to usher them to safety. In Namibia, water isn't always plentiful, but elephants can smell it from up to
around 19 kilometers or 12 miles away.
This herd is making a beeline
for a man-made watering spot in Etosha National Park. A new study has found that in warm weather, elephants can lose up to 10%
of all the water in their bodies. That equates to about
two full bathtubs a day, the highest level of daily water loss
ever recorded in a land mammal. It's a relief to drink, but still,
the herd must stay alert. Baby elephants are
intelligent little beings, but they aren't born with the instinct
to use their most important appendage - their trunk. They can't use it to grasp food
or to suck up water. This can make drinking awkward
and precarious. A youngster falls into the trough. He calls to alert the adults. The herd reacts in unison. The water isn't deep, but the panicked baby
could easily drown. The trough is narrow and hard to access.
The females can only watch on
while the youngster remains stuck. Many trunks, but no rescue, until a mature female
finally lifts him to safety. Even at natural waterholes,
like this one in Namibia, where there's plenty of room to move, female elephants must stay calm
when dealing with emergencies so as not to panic others in the herd, especially their calves. Mud baths should be enjoyable,
not traumatic. This matriarch gives a youngster
a helping trunk, a lesson for baby
and another young member of the herd. But Elephant Society isn't always
so cooperative. Researchers at Mushara Waterhole
in Namibia have witnessed a darker side
of the elephants' nature where danger doesn't lie outside the herd, but within it. This baby and his mother are chased away
from the water by the matriarch. The calf just wants some fun, but he sent back to his mother
by the other females. Despite living with the herd
for the last 5 years, the mother is left
to care for her baby alone.
Most of the herd begins to move on, turning their backs on the mother
and her calf. Two females even throw
irritating dust at the parent. The baby has become weak. The stress of rejection may have left
the mother unable to produce enough milk. The calf needs to drink around
2 litres of milk every 2 hours. He's getting weaker by the second and is now unable to stand up to feed. If he doesn't drink soon,
he will die of dehydration.
Why is this baby destined to die
while others are saved? Researchers think this cruel behavior
is evidence of a pecking order within the herd. Each elephant has their place
in the hierarchy and that status is passed down
through generations. This isn't in keeping with our perception
of elephant behavior, Herds can break up in places
where poaching occurs, but not usually in places like this, where the herd is protected
and there's enough food and water. Here in the Namibian desert,
resources are scarce. No baby gets left behind. Each one of them is precious. Elephant herds are complex societies. We can only observe and try to understand
the dynamics at work within them. In understanding their behaviour
at much deeper levels, we may also be able to help them survive.
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