Baby elephant rescued from well in India

Nov. 28 (UPI) -- A baby elephant was rescued from a well in India and the human rescuers received a gesture of thanks from the pachyderm's mother.

A video recorded Friday at a well in Thattekad, Kerala, shows the baby elephant struggling to climb the steep sides of the hole after falling in the previous night.

Forest officials brought an excavator to the well and the video shows the construction vehicle digging out the well to create a ramp for the trapped elephant.

The calf is eventually freed from its hole after five hours of rescue efforts and runs to rejoin its herd nearby.

The elephant's mother, once reunited with her baby, turns toward the rescuers and raises her trunk in a gesture locals identified as a thankful salute.