Rejected Baby Elephant Was Scared And Sad, Days Later Rescuers Were Amazed At The New Friend He Had Made

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August 02, 2017

It is always amazing to see the depths of emotion animals are able to express. From extreme joy to the deepest sadness, animals never cease to amaze me with their ability to feel like people feel. This is especially true of animals such as elephants. Elephants are extremely social animals and need their herd around them in order to thrive. Reminds me of human beings because we all need a loving community of friends around us in order to live life in the best way possible. So, when a little elephant was found all by itself, the rescue team was concerned that it was not going to be able to recover.

When rescuers found Ubuntu, the baby elephant, he was alone and scared. The rescuers who found the little elephant worked at a rhino orphanage and took Ubuntu to the shelter to monitor him. Most of the rhinos at the orphanage were victims of poachers but, unlike the rest of the animals at the shelter, Ubuntu was a victim of abandonment.

Ubuntu's herd, for unknown reasons, had left him behind to fend for himself. Even after many attempts to reunite the little elephant with his family, the herd would not return to claim the little elephant. Because of the social nature of elephants, Ubuntu went into a depressive state because he did not have his family around to support him.

What made the situation worse was the fact that Ubuntu developed an intolerance to all types of milk, which led to him getting sick. Workers at the orphanage were determined to make sure that Ubuntu would be able to live a good and happy life. They created their own special formula of food for the elephant with all the nutrients he needed. Slowly, Ubuntu got better and, finally, seemed to be on the road to recovery.

Despite his health improving, Ubuntu was still sad and lonely without his herd around him. Workers decided to introduce him to an unlikely playmate that they thought might help. They took Ubuntu to the sand pit outside and there, waiting for him, was a dog named Duma. Duma was a former service dog so he knew what it meant to be close to other in need. The little elephant took to the dog instantly and workers were ecstatic at the new friendship.

It did not take long for Ubuntu and Duma to become inseparable. Indeed, it was difficult for the workers to separate the two when it was time for bed or other activities. Because of Duma's job as a service dog, he was very protective of Ubuntu and would constantly watch over the little elephant to make sure he was ok. Finally, Ubuntu came out of his depressive state with the help and love of his new best friend.

Ubuntu would eventually be integrated into another herd of elephants but for the time being, he was perfectly content spending his days playing with Duma and being cared for by his rescuers. Ubuntu may have been abandoned but, through the power of friendship, the little elephant realized that he had an amazing, if not unusual, family that would always be there for him. Watch the video below to see Ubuntu and Duma's amazing friendship.

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