Villagers Risk Their Lives To Rescue A Baby Elephant Trapped In A Well

November 21, 2016

A baby elephant trapped in a well has been rescued in a small Indian village after locals risked their lives to help in the operation.

baby elephant rescue
Caters

The baby elephant fell into the well late in the evening, and the elephant's mother spent 11 hours trying to dig her out without success.

"Whenever the mother approached the well, she couldn't get a firm footing because he kept sinking into the muddy ground," a villager told the local news. "We tried to get her to move out of the way, but she became aggressive at our presence."

Wild elephants are harmless in most situations, but when one of their young is in danger, they have been known to lash out at humans.

With darkness covering the area, there was little the villagers could do until the next morning. A small group stayed and accompanied the mother in her fruitless attempts to save her baby.

By the next morning, the villagers knew time was running out.

"We put our heads together and someone suggested we try and distract her with some food. We knew it was a risk, because even if she did move away to eat, there was nothing stopping her from charging back when she saw us approach the well, but it was a risk we were willing to take."

The owner of a banana farm sent workers to bring fruit from his plantation. As it turned out, the villagers were right: the exhausted mother left the well to eat.

With a narrow window of opportunity, a group of brave villagers armed with shovels began digging. Despite a few nervous moments, the villagers were able to complete their work without being attacked.

"We were overjoyed when the mother was able to get a firm grasp around her baby with her trunk."

The crowd of onlookers cheered as they watched the mother pry her child from the well and up to safety.

"We knew we were taking a risk, but we couldn't just stand by and watch the baby die in that well. It's so great that there was a happy ending."