Elephants huddled together to protect calf from rockets (Video)

In the days days of fighting between Israel and the Palestinian militant Hamas, a ceasefire has been called. But amidst the barrage of missiles fired is a safari park helping the animals injured in this deadly conflict. The trauma of living in the middle of such violence has taken its toll on one herd of elephants who are captured on camera responding to an air-raid shelter siren going off.

Footage of the remarkable moment shows five adult elephants moving to make a protective circle around one-year-old calf Pele (Hebrew for “Wonder”) as the sirens began to wail, holding the formation as blasts can be heard in the background. The elephants immediately cross their enclosure to stand around Pele. “This behavior is very moving for us to see, but it is quite typical of elephants,” zookeeper Guy Kfir explained. ‘When they sense danger, they gather their young in the centre, encircle them and act as some sort of protective shield. In the video, you can see that each of them faces a different direction to protect the calf and watch out for any incoming danger,’ Guy Kfir said. The Gaza Strip is about 58 miles (93 kilometers) from the Ramat Gan safari park. This latest violence broke out with clashes at a holy site and Hamas, the militant group which rules Gaza, began firing rockets after warning Israel to withdraw from the site.

The elephants are seen circling calf to protect him

The siren went off indicating missiles were being fired and although the elephants were unharmed, a rocket shard that fell on the safari park a few months ago got lodged in the spine of a black macaque. The monkey had to undergo surgery at the Israeli Wildlife Hospital based at the park and thankfully recovered. A monk parrot that sustained wing fractures and a few burned feathers in the conflict is also being cared for with pain medication, fluids, a splint and bandage. Now the parrot, named Rocky by the staff, is expected to make a full recovery. Watch the video, remarkable footage shows five female elephants huddling to protect a calf.