A honeymooning couple were offered a privileged glimpse of African wildlife in the raw when an elephant gave birth in front of them.

Jon and Debbie Smith were nearing the end of their two-week holiday in Sabi Sands, South Africa, when they captured the footage on a digital camera.

They said that when they saw the herd they knew there was “something wrong” and prepared to withdraw. The guides suggested that the animal was suffering from stomach cramps but slowly it began to dawn on them what was happening and that the elephants did not object to their presence.

From their open-top Land Rover in the middle of the Ulusaba Reserve they watched the mother give birth to a 200lb calf after 22 months’ gestation in the womb.

Mrs Smith, 36, a marketing director from Solihull, West Midlands, said: “The elephants did not seem to mind our presence and we had an incredible view as it all happened. When she finally gave birth, it was such a rush of emotion and excitement. In the moments before I could hear my heart beating with the suspense.

“When we saw the baby, seconds old, trying to flap its ears and stumble to his feet, it was just magical. I felt so privileged”.

It was the kind of moment for which wildlife veterans of the BBC Natural History Unit wait half a lifetime. It was all the more remarkable because the party was three days into its safari and had yet to see an elephant.

Slowly, the animals formed a protective shield around the startled calf and gave it a gentle nudge, in turn, until it showed definite signs of life.

Mr Smith, 31, an accountant, said: “There were plenty of tears in that Land Rover. The guides who have been working that reserve for years and know the landscape and its inhabitants so intimately had never seen anything like it. To get it on film is just an incredible added bonus.”

It is normal for pregnant elephants to head off into the bush on their own to give birth, and then return to the herd later.

The couple returned to the spot the next day and were rewarded with a view of the still-unsteady youngster stumbling behind its mother. Mrs Smith said: “It was truly the most unbelievable moment in my life. We were so lucky.”

Nick Lindsay, a conservationist at Whipsnade Zoo, Bedford-shire, said the footage was remarkable. “The chances of seeing any animal giving birth in the wild is very slim — especially so because it is an elephant.”

The couple have donated the tape to Tusk Trust, which is dedicated to saving endangered African animals.

Elephants in the bush

— Elephants have an long gestation period of 22 months and that can vary

— By three months the ears, tail and trunk are present

— An African elephant cow may first conceive from the age of 9 -11 years

— The interval between subsequent births can be between 4 to 9 years depending on conditions

— Birth rates are highest during the rainy season when conditions are most favourable

— Twin births are rare

—The Ulusaba reserve is 10,000 acres of African bush bordering the Kruger National Park

— It is owned by Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin group

Source: ulusaba.com; Times database

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