First elephant birth filmed in Bali, Indonesia

After witnessing dozens of different species giving birth, I have such a difficult time wrapping my brain around the reasons it is suggested an elephant kicks the offspring, often so violently that it leads to injury or death. In this video, the kicking while not extreme, still seems very excessive. It is suggested that it is to stimulate the baby to breathe and get up. Why didn't the "fall" stimulate it? Does an elephant "not know it's own strength", and realize how hard it is kicking in extreme cases? Is it such an emotional animal, that it panic's and get's hysterical, if it does not get an immediate reaction from the newborn? This momma seemed to realize, "I have kicked hard enough," and attempted to lift the baby by the trunk, and pull it up by the spine. You have to wonder how necessary a dozen volunteers, 6 keepers, a curator, a director, and a couple of veterinarians really are in the big picture of success, or are they part of the problem when the birth goes south? Remarkable footage narrated by Nigel Mason, founder of the Elephant Safari Park in Taro, Bali.

Courtesy of Mark Rosenthal