Throwback image of man carrying baby elephant amazes Twitter

Shared by IFS officer Dipika Bajpai, this throwback image shows a man carrying a baby elephant.

The stories of humans rescuing elephants are not uncommon. However, it’s not every day that one sees a rescuer carrying the animal he has just rescued. Almost three years ago, such a surprising yet heatwarming incident took place near Mettupalayam, Tamil Nadu and an image of the same also went viral. Now, the image has resurfaced and it’s tugging at people’s heartstrings for all the right reasons.

Man carrying a baby elephant he rescued. (Twitter)

Shared by IFS officer Dipika Bajpai, this throwback image shows a man carrying a baby elephant. The caption describes that a forest guard Palanichamy carried the calf on his shoulder after rescuing it from a ditch. Eventually, the young one was reunited with its mother.

Here’s what Bajpai tweeted:

The flashback picture sparked all sorts of reactions among people with most appreciating the guard’s efforts.

While some people called him a real hero, others were surprised to see a man holding an elephant calf.

“Kudos to his exceptional act to save the life. Real hero,” wrote a Twitter user. “Hero. They do their duty with utmost honesty and sincerity,” tweeted another. “Good work. Great effort. Admire him a lot,” expressed a third. Several people also shared the folded hand emoji to express their gratitude.

A report of the incident published back in 2017 reveals the entire backstory and it’s as heartening as the image. Turns out, forest department officials received reports of an adult female elephant near Mettupalayam forest attacking vehicles and civilians. Initially, they scared the jumbo away but it kept coming back. Then they noticed that the mother elephant was only trying to protect its calf which had fallen in a ditch. Eventually, the officials rescued the tiny one and one of them carried it on his shoulder to return it to the mother.

Though old, this is one of such images which narrate a strong emotional tale that often leave people with a warm fuzzy feeling.