Watch: Entire elephant herd becomes quiet as it listens for danger

An elephant herd frolics in a watering hole at a South African elephant orphanage until one elephant becomes spooked.

As a result, the herd stops what it is doing, walks out of the water and becomes still and completely quiet as it listens for danger.

Video captured by HERD, an elephant orphanage built in 2019, shows how elephants stick together.

“There are many things that can put an elephant into a state of alarm; wild elephants and other wildlife—their scents and not just presence can alarm our herd,” the commentary written on the video states.

“When the elephants feel secure that nothing is endangering them, or any member of their family, they go back to swimming.”

As seen in the video, the herd becomes perfectly still as they wait to determine when the coast is clear. The quietness occurs about the 4:20 mark.

About 20 seconds later, the elephants resume their activity.

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“HERD is the first dedicated South African elephant orphanage,” the HERD website states. “The unfortunate truth is that there are an ever-increasing number of orphaned and displaced elephant calves in South Africa. This is linked to the rising poaching numbers, taking mothers away from their calves before they can fend for themselves in the wild. And that’s where HERD comes in, acting as their unique adoptive family to help raise them in a safe environment.”

Photo courtesy of HERD.