Watch this rescued baby elephant try to scratch its head in the sand
Rangers recorded a bittersweet video of the baby elephant trying to scratch its head.
Jumbo the 3-month-old elephant was found wandering through a forest in Thailand. Wildlife rangers believe he was separated from his herd when they discovered him alone, unable to fend for himself. The rescuers took Jumbo to a sanctuary to care for him temporarily.
Rangers recorded a bittersweet video of the baby elephant trying to scratch its head. Normally, an elder elephant would help relieve any itches on the baby elephant’s leathery skin. Instead, the baby was forced to rub its head on the ground for relief.
“He appeared like he was itchy so he tried to scratch it by himself by scratching his trunk onto the sand,” head ranger Thanee Wongna told Newsflare.
The sanctuary workers believe Jumbo’s herd is still looking for him.
“We have been monitoring the baby since he arrived and we found that during the night, there are calls from the herd. However, we can’t release him into the jungle until he returns those sounds, as that will help them to find each other,” Wongna said.
Elephants communicate with low-frequency rumbles that are undetectable by human ears. Their vocal cords vibrate as air passes through them to make infrasound-like vibrations that can travel more than a mile.
Elephants can use these rumbles to send different messages to each other. Scientists sometimes refer to this as their “secret language.”
Jumbo will remain at the sanctuary for a little while longer before rangers attempt to reunite him with his family.
“Although we believe the herd already knows where their baby is, they have not yet come for him,” Wongna said. “So we will wait for another few days before we start to push him back.”
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