Mother Elephants are protective of their young. Fact. Perhaps one of the most protective in the animal world. And perhaps what makes them stand out is that Elephants are matriarchal. That means they live in female-led groups.
The matriarch is the biggest and the oldest. The herd is multi-generational with other females and males. The males tend to roam on their own, forming their own all male group. Men.
This mama is fine on her own!
Taken at the Kruger National Park in South Africa, tourists stop on the road to see this mommy Elephant cross with her little one. And the little one is so cute! Baby Elephants weigh 200 pounds at birth and stand three feet tall. Like a small motorcycle!
But look how huge mom is! And yes, even females have tusks. Except they’re smaller compared to males. Adults can grow anywhere from eight to thirteen feet. And mom here is at least ten feet tall. Isn’t she beautiful?
Look both ways, little one!
Mom gives the tourists a look but since there really is no threat, she ignores them and goes on to cross the road with her adorable kid. Her toddler had other ideas. In typical curious kid fashion, the cute baby starts to make his way towards the tourists. Got really close too!
Wrong way!
Mom uses her long legs to immediately make her way to her kid, covering his face with her massive trunk, her lovely face just gazing at the tourists as if to say, sorry about that. I got him.
She nudges him backwards until her kid finally steps back. You shouldn’t just approach strangers, little elephant. It’s for your own good. Mom gives the tourists another apologetic look before leading her toddler away. It’s okay, mom!
An impressed viewer shared,
“What a wonderful mother…gently pulling her tiny baby to her. She’s obviously a very good and experienced mother. I love ellies!”
Moms are awesome!
Elephant mothers are pregnant for almost two years. They carry that calf around and when the time comes, they squeeze them out without any medication. Baby elephants are breastfed for up to three years, drinking up to 20 pints of milk a day.
This little one is going to grow big and strong like mom!
Moms will watch out for their young. Just like this one, she will take her calf away from any situation she deems dangerous. Elephants are one of the smartest animals out there. Dads aren’t usually involved so moms do all the work. Girl power!
Moms are teachers too!
Yes, a mother will teach her young where to eat, what to eat, where to go when an area is dangerous and how to defend themselves against predators. So that matriarchal society of theirs is an all female gig and it really works. The only threat to elephants are humans.
So you could say that mommy elephants have a lot of work when they give birth. They are very much hands on (trunks on?) with their young and just like this mama here, will face unfamiliar situations just to protect their kid. She’s a gentle mom though so these tourists are lucky. Who knows? They may cross paths again in the future. Elephants don’t forget.
Check out this mama’s protective instincts in the video below!
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
