Villagers save baby elephant after it fell into water tank

The elephant had fallen into the water tank in southern India.
A drowning baby elephant was pulled to safety by villagers after it fell into a water tank.

The dramatic rescue of the five-month-old calf was captured on video in Tamil Nadu, southern India, earlier this month.

The male calf is believed to have fallen into the tank while trying to drink some water, or run in while scared, and then been unable to free himself.

He had made it to the outskirts of Naickenpalayam from nearby Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve in Periyanaickenpalayam with a herd of eight elephants, according to the Mail Online.

Forest ranger Palaniraja said: ‘On June 11, we received information from the villagers that three wild elephants were raiding fields at Rayaruthupathi near Naickenpalayam on the outskirts of the city in the early hours of June 11.

It was reunited with its herd after the dramatic rescue.

Six villagers were involved in pulling it to safety. ‘We rushed to the spot along with a team of anti-poaching watchers.’

Video footage shows six villagers tugging the elephant calf out of the water by its legs and trunk.

It was later reunited with the herd that had remained nearby.

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