The rescue of an orphaned elephant is an inspiring sight—but it can also be an absurd one. How do you catch an elephant by hand? The elephant may be small, but he's still an elephant.

This male calf, weighing somewhere in the range of 1,000 pounds, was spotted alone in Kenya’s Masai Mara National Park, in the country's southwest. It's not clear what happened to his mother, but a lone calf is vulnerable. Given that African elephants are internationally listed as vulnerable to extinction, park officials are loathe to lose any elephants, especially to avoidable circumstances.

They hatched a rescue plan.

First, the veterinary team used a dart gun to administer a small dose of sedative, careful not to use too