Dramatic rescue of mother and elephant calf in Thailand ends successfully.

These are dramatic scenes from Thailand. In pouring rain, rescue workers attempt to free an elephant pair that had fallen into a rainwater well, with the mother becoming unconscious. The rescue operation took three hours.

The rescue took place in pouring rain at Khao Yai National Park on Wednesday when a one-year-old elephant fell into a rainwater well beside the road. Veterinarian Chananya Kanchanasarak, who was involved in the rescue operation, told The Guardian how “impossible it was to get close to the calf because the mother stayed nearby.” As a result, park staff decided to administer three doses of tranquilizers to the mother. However, the mother herself fell into the hole, hitting her head and losing consciousness.

Video footage shows dozens of rescue workers, aided by a crane, ultimately managing to lift the mother out of the well.

A digger is also used to create an exit for the calf, who immediately goes to its unconscious mother.

Eventually, the elephant stands up again, and the park staff watches with relief as the elephant pair ventures back into the wilderness. The team took over three hours to complete the operation.

“It’s one of the most memorable rescue operations we’ve ever carried out,” says Kanchanasarak.