A child elephant was dramatically rescued from a manhole in central Thailand this week after its mom was sedated to permit the operation to proceed, wildlife officers stated.
The calf fell into the drainage trough on the outskirts of the Royal Hills golf course in Nakhon Nayok province within the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Its distressed mom, believed to belong to an elephant herd touring by the close by jungle, stayed with the toddler, which was unable to climb out of the steep pit.
The pair have been found by a passing resident, who shortly alerted wildlife officers and Khao Yai Nationwide Park authorities to the elephant's plight.
Would-be rescuers have been initially unable to assist the infant elephant as a result of presence of its apprehensive mom, and have been compelled to tranquilize the older creature.
The mom elephant then tumbled partially into the outlet earlier than being pulled out — with the assistance of a digger.
The mom was later revived, based on the Division of Nationwide Parks, Wildlife and Crops Conservation. Video posted on the division's web site confirmed the infant elephant struggling on the underside of the manhole earlier than lastly being pulled out within the rain.
The calf was finally rescued from the pit and reunited with its mom, with park authorities confirming the pair had safely returned to the jungle.
Elephants falling down or getting caught can typically have tragic outcomes. In 2019, 11 elephants fell to their deaths at a waterfall in Thailand after a few of them tried to achieve a calf.
In line with Elephant Nature Park, there are an estimated 3,000-4,000 elephants in Thailand. About half of them are domesticated, and the remaining stay in nationwide park reserves.