These heartwarming images show wildlife and forest officials rescuing a four-month-old baby elephant from a well hours after it fell into the well.
After they heard the cries of pain, locals discovered the calf in a 6-meter-long well in Alimulla, Ampara, in Sri Lanka’s Eastern Province.
Partially heard, the baby elephant has fallen into the well while trying to drink water.
After the villagers raised the alarm, a rescue team from the forestry and wildlife department arrived to retrieve the calf from the well built for irrigation purposes.
Officials had difficulty rescuing the calf as several elephants, including the baby’s mother, were standing near the well protecting the calf.
Officials had to use firecrackers to chase them away.
In the footage, officials can be seen digging around the well using a Backhoe machine and removing the cement block above the well to get the elephant out.
A local resident, Samara Simha, said: “The elephants ventured to this area to drink water from the well.
“The calf, part of a large herd, may have fallen into the well because the water level was beyond its reach.”
After five hours of struggle, wildlife and forest officials finally managed to pull the animal out of the well.
Footage shows rescuers then applying ointment to the calf’s wo.u.nd before it ran to its mother, standing nearby.
Both the mother and baby elephants then ran towards the nearby forest.
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