The bond between an elephant and its caretaker was captured on camera as the gentle giant displayed remarkable composure during a medical procedure.
This remarkable scene unfolded at the Elephant Rescue Centre in Botswana. Jabu, the elephant, obediently laid down as instructed, allowing the conservation worker to approach and administer eye ointment without any sign of distress.
In the footage, Jabu confidently strides towards the male keeper. Upon the keeper’s gentle command, “Jabu, lie down,” the elephant complies without hesitation. With a graceful movement, Jabu lowers himself to the ground, stretching out his front legs before peacefully resting on his side.
The incredible video was filmed at the Elephant Rescue Centre in Botswana, capturing the moment when the keeper gently places his hand on the elephant’s leg and calmly instructs, “Jabu, lie down.”
After a brief pause, the elephant obediently bends his back legs and lowers himself onto the ground as requested.
The conservation worker praises him with a “good boy” and rewards him with a handful of food, then approaches to examine his eye, commenting, “I think that’s starting to look a little bit better.”
With a heavy sigh, Jabu blinks as flies persistently buzz around his face.
Instructing the elephant to stay, the keeper takes out a small white bottle of antibiotic drops and leans in, holding Jabu’s eyelashes with his left hand to open his eye for treatment.
The conservation worker praises Jabu with a “good boy” and rewards him by tossing a handful of food into his mouth.
The keeper retrieves a small white bottle of antibiotic drops and moves in closer. Jabu releases a heavy sigh and blinks repeatedly as flies persistently buzz around his face.
Jabu’s red and irritated eye becomes apparent as the keeper carefully administers the liquid under the elephant’s eyelids.
Once the procedure is complete, both the keeper and the woman behind the camera offer words of encouragement to the patient.
The gentle giant playfully sits with his mouth open, anticipating an extra treat, and the keeper gladly indulges him with several handfuls of nuts.
After patting Jabu’s trunk, the keeper starts to walk away but not before informing him that he can now stand up.
With effort, the elephant rises to his feet, and shortly afterward, the video comes to an end.
It becomes clear that Jabu’s eye is red and irritated as the keeper repeatedly squeezes the liquid under the elephant’s eyelids
The keeper affectionately taps Jabu’s trunk before moving away, signaling for him to rise. With a gentle heave, the elephant lifts himself up, concluding the video shortly thereafter.
Originally filmed in December, the clip has resurfaced online recently. Workers at the rescue center, operated by the Living with Elephants Foundation, noticed Jabu’s watery eye and administered three doses of antibiotics daily to treat it.
Jabu, the dominant male of the herd, was orphaned in Kruger National Park, South Africa, during a culling operation. At 31 years old, he stands over 11.4 feet (3.5 meters) tall and weighs 5.5 tons. Alongside an eye infection, he also grapples with a wrist injury and osteoarthritis from a 2016 altercation with a wild bull during a status dispute.
Jabu, along with other herd members, will be featured in an upcoming Animal Planet TV series titled Dodo Heroes, airing in June.
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