Baby elephant's pit rescue caught on camera in China

KUNMING, China, Jan. 22 (UPI) -- A baby elephant that fell into an empty water storage pit in southwest China was able to escape with the help of villagers and police.

A police spokesman said the baby elephant was found in the 6-foot-deep pit near a nature reserve in Yunan Province Wednesday and villagers called police to help free the animal.

"Looking at the scene the elephant probably fell into the hole yesterday," the spokesman said. "Because it rained yesterday, the ground around the pit was slippery."

The rescuers filled one side of the pit with dirt and used hoes to gradually lower the ledge until the elephant was able to climb out and head back into the forest.