THAILAND: A team of veterinarians, national park staff and volunteers successfully rescued a baby elephant that fell into a manhole, along with its mother on Wednesday, 13 July, in Khao Yai National Park, Nakhon Nayok province in central Thailand.

According to park officials, a one-year-old calf fell into a drain hole while the mother was guarding it without leaving its side. The rescue team used anesthetic shots to subdue the frantic mother elephant, resulting in one half of her falling into the hole. However, it allowed the baby elephant to suckle from its mother.

Rescuers then used a crane to lift the mother up, but she fainted due to stress. A video shows staff members performing CPR to save the elephant’s life.

The calf later climbed out of the hole and suckled on the mother until she regained consciousness, and both were able to return to the wild.