The elephant calf was lost from its mother. The reunion photo went viral around the world the animals

The photo shows the moments after a reunion between mother and son at a nature reserve in southern India. The calf went missing from its mother and the rest of the herd on December 29, and rescue teams found it a day later.

When they brought her back to the group, she was greeted with what appeared to be a hug. The photo, taken by rangers at the Annamalai Reserve, in Tamil Nadu state, shows the animal sleeping near the mother's chest, who is placing one of her front paws on her son's body.

In statements by L guardianKartik Satyanarayan, director of the Indian animal protection society Wildlife SOS, explained that elephants rarely move away when a calf disappears unless they feel threatened by their proximity to other animals or humans. In this case, the group walked about four kilometers and left their youngest member, aged between four and five months, alone.

“The mother has to choose between the well-being of the herd and the well-being of the calf,” he said. Taking into account the distance traveled, rangers used drones to locate the herd and return the calf to its mother. But before that, they washed it to remove human odors and then anointed it with mud.

“This allows the mother and aunts to welcome the calf and reduces worry about any human remains,” Kartik added.

The team spent the next days observing the two animals, and ended up taking a photo of the embrace between the mother and her son.