The officers at the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust are no strangers when it comes to rescuing elephants from sinkholes — in 2025, the conservation organization rescued 17 in total.
The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is based in Kenya, where sinkholes and ground fissures are relatively common, particularly along the active tectonic fault lines of the Great Rift Valley, a divergence of three major tectonic plates pulling apart from one another.
On February 25, the Kenya Wildlife Service responded to reports of a bull elephant trapped shoulder-deep in a sinkhole in Chakama, a region roughly 30 miles inland from the Indian Ocean.
“Sheldrick Wildlife Trust pilot Roan Carr-Hartley flew down to the scene, where he met with the Kulalu anti-poaching team and KWS,” the nonprofit stated in a press release.
“While it was too deep and steep to escape, he could move around inside, which made it challenging for teams to position the straps needed to free him,” it continued.
The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
The elephant was in a panic, which meant that the rangers couldn’t get too close without risking their own safety.
Carr-Hartley called Campaign Limo, who heads a mobile vet unit in the Greater Tsavo Conservation Area, who was busy helping with another rescue operation. With the veterinarian miles away, Carr-Hartley and the KWS rangers knew they had to continue the operation without anaesthetising the bull and pulling it to safety.
“Finally, the team managed to loop straps behind the bull and attached them to a vehicle,” the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust reported. “Inch by inch, they pulled him from his muddy trap.”
In video footage of the incident, the elephant’s body language seemed to change after it realized that it was being helped, not harmed. After a harrowing back-and-forth, the exhausted elephant is finally pulled free from the sinkhole.
The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
“This was a very challenging operation, but the team didn’t give up,” the organization wrote. “A life was saved, leaving all involved with a deep feeling of accomplishment.”
On YouTube, people were quick to offer their praise for the organization.
“What seems like an impossible rescue made totally possible by a community of passionate can-do individuals only wanting the best for these animals,” one user wrote.
The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
“It was amazing to see how quickly he realized they were here to help and stopped wasting energy struggling at the sight of them,” another person commented. “Phenomenal work all around.”
One YouTube user said: “These individuals — each and every one participating in this rescue — are tipping the scales to the good on our planet.”
Watch the rescue below:
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Featured Image: Screenshot via Sheldrick Wildlife Trust/YouTube
