A woman named Elena uploaded an adorable video that quickly went viral.
And it’s easy to see why. The video follows the adventures of a cute elephant calf as he tried to make his way across a stream.
But we’re pretty confident some people are watching it because it’s a masterclass in frustrating YouTube viewers – almost to the point where it’s hilarious. (If you really want to challenge yourself, watch the whole video without reading any comments first. You’ll see what we mean.)
It’s unclear where the video takes place, but these are African elephants and some of the most popular places for elephant-viewing safaris are Botswana, Kenya, and Zimbabwe.
Both Elena and her driver (as well as the oncoming driver) are safe and respectful, viewing the animals from inside their vehicles.
But everyone is fascinated by the sight of the stubborn calf.
Many of us would be tempted – perhaps out of sheer empathy – to get out and help this mom and her baby.
The puddle is just that – it’s certainly not a water hazard. Nevertheless, this little elephant is NOT interested in traversing it to get across the road.
He even tries to go AWOL a few times, but mama’s not having it.
She tries everything from pushing him along with her trunk to trying to corral him under her body and move him forward with her legs to get him to move. But no dice.
Anyone who has ever wrangled a toddler will recognize nearly every trying moment of this struggle, including the escape attempts.
If elephants could put their hands on their hips, sternly say their kids’ names (middle name included) through their teeth, and chastise them for not doing just this *one simple task*, so they could get on with their day, that’s what we’d be seeing.
But their options for discipline are limited. So mom tries, again and again, to get her calf to cross the road.
And elephants are known to be good mothers, so she’s incredibly patient, especially since her calf really does seem afraid.
Female elephants often help each other rear calves, so this mom does get a hand from another member of the herd – though that’s not worth much in the end.
It’s pretty clear that both adults are trying to demonstrate how to cross the road without fear and hoping to get across the point that a little puddle never hurt anyone.
But baby elephant seems to think that getting its feet wet is the worst thing ever. Apparently, there’s just no reasoning with a toddler of any species!
It virtually climbs up onto its mom as if to beg not to go.
And for a moment we wonder if a few of them might band together to carry it over the impediment with their trunks.
But, hey, we all have to learn to cross a puddle successfully at some point. And mom has picked this as a teachable moment.
While both vehicles seem a little close to the animals (perhaps trying to get them to hurry things along – which is ironic, since they’re theoretically there to observe elephant behavior) they do back away when the elephants get closer.
(And there is a protective moment when one elephant basically honks at them to back the heck off!)
It’s so sweet to see this little guy achieve his goal of making it across the stream — and it’s fun just watching him try and figure out how to get across.
Check out the cute little elephant in the video below!
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