Dramatic video shows rescue workers saving baby elephant after it fell into a ditch

A video has surfaced online that shows a baby elephant being pulled out from a ditch by rescue workers. The one-month-old Asian elephant weighing 60kg had fallen into the ditch from a 60-meter-high hill on Saturday, 13 January.

The Xinhua Net reported that the elephant weighing 60kg fell into the ditch from a 60-metre-high hill. Forest police and nature reserve staff in Jinghong City of China arrived at the scene after receiving a call. It wasn't clear who made the call.

The tragedy had attracted other elephants to the scene, leaving workers in dilemma. However, when the animals momentarily left, workers successfully pulled the baby elephant out of the ditch. The fall has left the young one with severe injuries, who was soon taken to the reserve's office for emergency treatment.

Chang Zongbo, a publicity official with local forest police, said: "The baby elephant has been taken to a wild Asian elephant rescue centre for observation and treatment. It is frail and still in critical condition."

A similar incident recently happened in India where an elephant was rescued after falling into an uncovered well. The incident happened in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu when the distressed animal was saved by the Forest Department's anti-poaching watchers and redirected into the forest.

The 3.5ft tall female calf was found inside 20ft deep dry well by some villagers who then called the rescue team. After an hour long operation, it was successfully lifted out of the well.

Divisional Forest Officer Midnapore Rabindranath Saha told the Times of India, "We were able to lift the elephant calf within three hours of getting the information. It took a while for our team to chase away the adult elephants in her herd to conduct the rescue operation smoothly. The calf is in good health."