An elephant hangs upside down during its relocation to the wild. (Courtesy of The Aspinall Foundat via SWNS)
By Ottilie von Henning
A bull elephant was dramatically hoisted upside down while sedated by wildlife experts during a major relocation back to the wild.
The extraordinary operation saw the huge animal carefully lifted from captivity in a tightly controlled procedure before being transported to his new life in the African wilderness.
The elephant, named Tswale, had spent decades in captivity before finally being returned to the wild last year in what conservationists have described as a landmark moment.
The elephant was released into the wild for the first time in his life after having spent 30 years in captivity. (Courtesy of The Aspinall Foundat via SWNS)
Working in close collaboration over many years, teams from the Aspinall Foundation helped relocate Tswale to the Eastern Cape in South Africa, where he was gradually introduced to a protected reserve.
His long-term handler, Amos, was on hand to ease the transition.
Images from the operation show the sedated bull suspended upside down in a web of straps and rigging, lifted by multiple handlers.
The elephant eventually wandered off and made contact with a wild herd. (Courtesy of The Aspinall Foundat via SWNS)
In the days after his arrival, Tswale began communicating across vast distances, reportedly sending low-frequency rumbles to other wild elephants kilometers away.
He eventually wandered off and made contact with a wild herd.
Rangers later confirmed sightings of Tswale among other elephants, where he now appears fully integrated and set to spend the rest of his life roaming free in his natural habitat.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.