Watch The Moment Rehabilitated Elephants Are Released Back Into The Wild

It is no secret that elephant populations in Southern Africa face the constant threat of illegal poaching. This is a sad story and there are rarely ever any happy endings. However, there is the occasional ray of hope and this story is one of them. A group of elephants all whom survived attempts to kill them for their ivory and ended up being rescued by conservation groups started a new chapter of their lives when it was decided it was time to release the pachyderms back into the wild.

Complex operation

The elephants were staying at the Zimbabwe Elephant Nursery (ZEN) where they were rehabilitated after suffering from the trauma of not just being hunted but also from injury and abuse. According to ZEN, the six elephants were sedated and then loaded onto transport vehicles and driven across the country on a 16-hour 900-kilometre journey. It was a complex endeavour involving many organisations and was a resounding success. The elephants were released into a protected sanctuary in the Panda Masuie Forest and if you watch the video which was posted by the International Fund for Animal Welfare you will see the touching moment they were released back into the wild.