Dramatic rescue video shows trapped elephant calf and mother saved from manhole in Thailand

July 15, 2022

In the pouring rain on Wednesday, Thai veterinarians and nearby staff rescued a mother-calf pair of elephants from a roadside drainage hole using a boom lift.

The incident took place in central Nakhon Nayok province where a 1-year-old elephant fell into a large man-made crater.

The distressed mother initially stood guard over her calf but was shortly sedated after so rescuers could get to the baby.

According to national park staff, the mother then fell into the hole, forcing rescuers to use a truck-mounted boom lift to pull her out.

After the mother was successfully put back down above ground, vets in blue uniform and several park staff gently bounced on the mother’s limp body to try to resuscitate her in a form of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

A digger proceeded to move some of the dirt around the squealing, panicked calf so it could climb out. It immediately returned to its mother’s side and began suckling.

The video ended with a woman, most likely one of the vets based on her medical uniform, in tears, standing in the rain and watching the elephant pair disappear back into the forest.

Featured Image via The Guardian

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