An elephant was trapped in a 30-foot well in India for six hours before rescuers tried to free it.
A video from a Saturday event shows the clearly distressed juvenile thrashing against the well walls frantically.
Despite the elephant’s frantic condition, brave rescuers dug a ramp for it to climb out as quickly as possible.
The debris collapses into the hole as a huge excavator shifts dirt to create a ramp.
The elephant clings to the perimeter of the hole, which is surrounded by debris and large boulders that spring off its back and head.
In a chorus of jubilant cheers from the spectators, the elephant scrambled up the hillside after the dirt fell away and ran off down a dirt road into the woods.
A young elephant was on a journey with a herd of 50 others when it strayed into Tamil Nadu, India’s southernmost district.
Ten elephants became separated from the herd and strayed near the community before retreating into the forest when one of the youngsters fell into a farm well.
The frightened herd lingered near the trapped elephant, but they soon moved on.
The young elephant appears to have injured itself in a frantic effort to climb up.
Hundreds of spectators gathered as Forest authorities attempted to free the elephant. The villagers of Hosur noticed it and informed the forest department, prompting hundreds of people to watch.
After six hours of hard digging with machines, forest officials began a rescue operation and recovered the baby elephant. The rescued elephant bounded out and ran into the woods to rejoin its herd.
