A heartwarming moment of an elephant giving birth has gone viral on social media.
Lots of humans will mark the birth of a child with a baby shower or some kind of festivities where loved ones come together to celebrate the new life.
And it appears that elephants are no exception. When a baby elephant is born, the entire herd rallies around it to protect it while it is still young.
A safari group in the Chobe National Park witnessed the incredible birth of a local elephant.
They just happened to be in the right place at the right time.
Unless they have twins, females usually give birth to one calf at a time. According to Sciencing, they give birth every five years and mate until they are 50 years old.
Their pregnancy lasts up to 23 months which is much longer than humans and most other animals.
Their labor can last for several days.
Their labor pains, like humans’, worsen as the work progresses. The majority of elephants give birth at night. This allows them to give birth in peace and quiet. Some female elephants would even strive to delay their delivery in order to avoid having their calf during the day or early in the morning.
But the people on safari got to witness a day birth.
“On a safari drive in Chobe National Park, we witnessed a pregnant elephant giving birth,” wrote David Xing who uploaded the video of the elephant birth to YouTube. “This was unplanned and our group happened to be at the right time at the right place. Post birth celebration and protection from potential prey by the elephant herd is spectacular!”
The female elephant is shown delivering her baby who drops to the ground.
The baby’s fluid sac immediately bursts upon impact with the floor and the baby slides out. 
The infant then attempts to gain his balance and stand with the assistance of his mother. Babies can frequently stand up within one hour after birth.
It isn’t long before the herd begins to approach. They then congregate around the new calf. They do this to keep the child safe from danger.
Larger elephants aren’t really vulnerable to predators like lions and tigers because of their size.
Baby elephants, on the other hand, are because they are much smaller. As a result, the herd encircles their young for protection. This astounding miracle can be seen in the video.
Commenting on the clip, one person wrote: “Elephants are a great example of how a healthy community is there for everyone – in the good and so good.”
A second person added: “What a magnificent moment captured on video!
“Mom giving birth to her baby alone while standing up!
“Then once it’s all done, the rest of the herd comes to join in celebration!”
Someone else wrote “Beautiful …. Social control… the herd is gathering together to project the little one.”
Another questioned: “Oh how far we’ve come from our basic right to exist as human beings on this planet.
“Look as these elephants take joy in their progeny – celebrating for & with each other. They’ve secured more life.
“What are we doing?”
“It’s absolutely amazing how elephants protect one another. A birth is something to celebrate and the baby is to be protected and assisted. I know why my father loved elephants so much! They are so intelligent,” someone else added.
Well, it turns out that elephants have a very strange relationship with one another after mating.
Male elephants are called bulls, while females are called cows, and a baby elephant is a calf. When a bull mates with a cow, they apparently don’t stay together as as couple.
The bull will continue to mate with several more partners, while the cow if left to raise the baby calf on its own – which certainly doesn’t sound very nice.
However, the calf will pretty much be guaranteed full protection by the mother until it reaches childhood. This is because adult elephants are nowhere near as vulnerable to predators as the calves are.
