Helping

An elephant Digging around, Lifting, Pushing or Pulling another elephant to assist it to stand, get up a bank, out of a river or mud-wallow or otherwise help it to overcome some physical predicament. Also observed when an elephant is incapacitated, dying or dead. All age/sex groups, except infants, may be observed attempting to Help other elephants, but this behavior is most successful among older, stronger elephants and most common among adult, adolescent and juvenile females during their care of calves.

References: Douglas-Hamilton 1972: ch 6; Lee 1987; Moss 1992; Poole 1996; Kahl & Armstrong 2000; Bates et al 2008; Poole & Granli 2011. (Full reference list)

This behavioral constellation includes the following behaviors: Lifting, Pulling, Pushing, Digging and occurs in the following context(s): Affiliative, Birth, Calf Reassurance & Protection, Social Play

Helping

Context: Affiliative (1)

The NDs are trying to Drink at a rather difficult place with a steep bank.As the clip starts Ndabele has just been Pushed over by a female from another family, it seems. We missed that part but we see Ndabele on the ground and her mother, Nashota, using her trunk and tusks to Lift her up, Helping her to her feet. Ndabele gives a powerful Baroo-Rumble with an Open-Mouth.

We can see that her mother is also Rumbling. She touches Ndabele Trunk-to-Mouth and Ndabele gives another Open-Mouth Baroo-Rumble. Other family members comes rushing over to see what is wrong and there is Rumbling by Nashota and others. Then for a third time Ndabele gives a long Open-Mouth Baroo-Rumble. Someone Trumpets. A long low frequency throbbing Rumble follows. Perhaps directed at the female who Pushed her? (Amboseli, Kenya)