A zoo recently came to the rescue of an older African savanna elephant after the animal took a tumble. The elephant fell after tripping over a log and couldn't get back up.
The elephant named Ruth is older in years at 43. She lives at the Milwaukee County Zoo where she took a tumble. The animal reacted to "aggressive behavior from a herdmate" and fell over a log. Due to her age, she couldn't get back up once she was fallen over. That's where zoo workers sprang into action.
They used a front-loader with hay to encourage the elephant to stand up again. This helped Ruth get halfway up. Once the front half of her body was standing, she was able to quickly pick up her back legs and stand again. This helped save the animal as it is getting advanced in age.
Elephant Take A Tumble
The zoo shared a statement with People following the incident, "In their 40s, all three members of the Zoo's elephant herd are considered geriatric. The median life expectancy for a female African savanna elephant in human care is 39.4 years old, according to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA)."
It continued, "As soon as Ruth fell and was unable to rise, the Zoo began implementing its planned protocol to lift a down animal, which includes alerting the Milwaukee Fire Department's Heavy Urban Rescue Team (HURT) as well as Dawes Rigging and Crane. The Zoo's animal care team, as well as our grounds, forestry, and maintenance teams, regularly train through drills and prepare with the HURT team for an incident such as this."
"She will continue to be monitored closely and is doing well," the team also added, "We're proud of our Zoo team, who did an outstanding, efficient job in handling this situation. Unfortunately, this may happen again with any member of our herd. In fact, the Elephant Care Center was built to accommodate the needs of geriatric elephants: It contains a crane and remote lifting equipment. We are fortunate that MFD's HURT and Dawes Crane was not needed today, and we are appreciative of their willingness to assist."
