In a frightening moment on last night’s episode of BBC’s “Animal Babies: First Year on Earth,” a four-day-old baby elephant named Safina narrowly avoided being kicked by her 11.5 ton brother while exploring her surroundings in Kenya, under the watchful eye of her mother Cyclone.
The incident was captured by three wildlife camera operators who are chronicling Safina and other animal babies’ growth and development day by day for the three-part series.
During the documentary, Safina wanders off from her mother and begins playing too close to her brother, putting herself in danger. Fortunately, she was able to avoid being kicked by her much larger sibling.
Safina, who is only four days old, and has been born to mother Cyclone, in Kenya, starts to get her footing and explore her surroundings, but as she does she gets too close to her 11.5 ton brother
Safina, who is only 4 days old and her mother Cyclone in Kenya – the documentary tracks her first year
The male elephants don’t have any part in rearing the young elephants and Safina is unaware of the danger her brother poses.
As her brother become irritated to her being too close he kicks his back leg in her direction – missing her by inches.
Her brother is around 20 times heavier than her – but luckily her mother and the other female elephants comes to her aid, forming a barrier around her and shielding Safina from her brother.
The moment shows just how fragile a baby elephant is in their first years of life and how males in the herd won’t protect them.
As her brother become irritated to her being too close he kicks his back leg in her direction – missing her by inches
The moment, which was part of last nights documentary, shows Safina wandering off from her mother and playing too close to her brother – narrowly missing being kicked by him.
Sue Gibson (pictured) is the camera woman tracking Safina’s moves and witnesses her trying to keep up with the herd just days after she’s born
Sue Gibson is the camera woman tracking her moves and witnesses her trying to keep up with the herd just days after she’s born.
Sue giggles as she films Safina fall over and get stuck in the mud, with her mother using her trunk to help her get up.
She also notes that the baby elephant still hasn’t got used to her trunk yet: ‘She is flicking it around and seems surprisedaout it every time she see it,’ she says.
The moment shows just how fragile a baby elephant is in their first years of life and how males in the herd won’t protect them
The three part series follows three wildlife camera operators who film Safina (pictured), along with other animal babies, as they grow and develop, day by day.
Safina and her brother in last nights episode – she get too close to him and risks being kicked by him
A few days later Sue revisits Safina and her herd and notices that there is a change with their behavior.
Quickly she realises that they have stumbled on another herd of elephants and one of them is Cyclone’s sister – Monsoon.
The emotional moment sees the elephants introducing Safina to her relative and the elephants using their trunks to bond with each other.
Her brother (right with Safina) realises what he has done and tries to say sorry by using his trunk to bond with his sister, but their mother (left) also quickly comes to rescue her
The male elephants don’t have any part in rearing the young elephants and Safina is unaware of the danger her brother poses
Fortunately, Safina’s mother and the other female elephants rushed to her defense, creating a barrier around her and protecting her from her brother.
According to Sue, “They really seem delighted to be reunited. It’s like welcoming someone home after a long time away and embracing them with open arms.”
The documentary also showcases the first three months of a baby sea otter and twin baby hyenas as they navigate survival. Additionally, Nyakabara, an eight-week-old baby mountain gorilla, is featured in the film as she grows up in Bwindi, an Impenetrable National Park located in Uganda.
Safina fell over and got stuck in the mud, but her mother used her trunk to help her get up. She was named Nyakabara, which means “marked,” after she was born with a never-before-seen white bracelet of fur. She is one of only 50 mountain gorilla babies in the world, and at just 8 weeks old, she shares 98% of her DNA with human babies and, like us, is utterly dependent on her mother. Camera operator Vianet Djenguet filmed Nyakabara and her mother foraging for food. Sadly, it was revealed that one-third of baby gorillas do not survive their first year, often falling from trees.
Nyakabara is only one of only 50 mountain gorilla babies in the world, while at 8 weeks old she also shares 98 per cent of her DNA with human babies and like us is utterly dependent on her mother
Eight-week-old baby Mountain Gorilla, Nyakabara, is also filmed as she grows up in the Bwindi – an Impenetrable National Park in Uganda
Camera operator Vianet Djenguet films her as her and her mother forage for food, after it is revealed that a third of babies don’t survive their first year as many fall from from the trees.