In his 26 years as a rescue worker, Thailand's Mana Srivate has performed dozens of resuscitation attempts, but not one of them was on an elephant. Until now.
Mana was called into action while off duty on a road trip late on Sunday, where a baby elephant got badly hit by a motorcycle while crossing a road with a group of wild pachyderms in the eastern province of Chanthaburi.
Somebody recorded his attempt to keep the animal alive. In the video that went viral in the country on Monday, Mana is seen giving two-handed compressions to the small elephant lying on its side as colleagues a few meters away treat a dazed and injured motorcycle rider on the ground.
A viral video shows an off-duty rescue worker in Thailand reviving a baby elephant using CPR
Image credits: Reuters
The animal was struck by a motorbike while crossing a road in the southeastern province of Chanthaburi
Image credits: Reuters
Watch the full video below
"I assumed where an elephant heart would be located based on human theory and a video clip I saw online," the hero told Reuters
Image credits: Reuters
"It's my instinct to save lives, but I was worried the whole time because I can hear the mother and other elephants calling for the baby"
Image credits: Reuters
"When the baby elephant started to move, I almost cried"
Image credits: Reuters
The baby elephant stood up after about 10 minutes and was taken to another location for treatment. It then was returned to the scene of the accident in hopes that it would be reunited with its mother.
Mana said the elephants soon returned when the mother heard her baby calling out.
Image credits: Reuters
Despite having dealt with dozens of road traffic accidents involving humans, the man said this baby elephant was the only victim he had managed to revive while performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
Image credits: Reuters
Here's what people have been saying after watching the video
