The moment a huge elephant was pulled out of a muddy pit by hero Indian villagers and a digger
- Shivasankaran went to drink in a muddy pool before his bath in Pathanamthitta
- The soft edge of the pit was too soft for his huge weight and collapsed
- Touching footage of beloved tusker elephant pulled out of hole after falling
- Hundreds of villagers rushed to his aid to haul him out with ropes and a digger
- Two excavators were called in and eventually freed him from the hole
A huge elephant was rescued from a mud pit after it slipped into it after the slippery edge gave way under its weight.
Touching footage shows the moment villagers try to haul him out with ropes before excavators with a JCB were called to dig him out.
Shivasankaran the tusker elephant was taken to have a bath in a rainwater tank in the town of Pathanamthitta in southern India.
The huge mammal saw a muddy pit nearby and went to drink water from it, but was too heavy for the soft ground around it.
The elephant struggled frantically to make a way out for itself but slipped back repeatedly due to its heavy weight.
Appu the dog which accompanied the beast kept barking until the mahout who looked after him came to help.
An elephant was freed from a mud pit after it fell in while trying to take drink as the slippery edge gave way under its weight
Shivasankaran the tusker elephant was taken to have a bath in a rainwater tank in the town of Pathanamthitta in southern India but went to the pit instead
The huge mammal saw a muddy pit nearby and went to drink water from it, but was too heavy for the soft ground around it
Villagers arrived with an excavator to dig Shivasankaran out but the machinery also got bogged in the muddy ground, making it useless.
Villagers arrived with an excavator to dig Shivasankaran out. The first one got bogged but a second one proved effective
They then attached several ropes to the elephant’s body to pull him out once the pit was opened up
Dozens of villagers grabbed ropes they tied around the elephant in an effort to haul him out of the pit
Hundreds of others watched on as the elephant rescue became the most interesting event in the town
They eventually got a bigger excavator that could be positioned on firmer ground and finally freed the stricken elephant uninjured.
Dozens of villagers grabbed ropes they tied around the elephant in an effort to haul him out of the pit while hundreds of others watched on.
Appu never left his big companion’s side as the rescue was underway, prompting villages to call Shivasankaran a ‘big guy with a little friend’.
Shivasankaran was eventually freed uninjured form the pit and stood upright
He then wandered home under the watchful eye of his mahout and villagers
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