An elephant was rescued from a mud hole after falling in while drinking and the slick edge broke way beneath its weight.
Shivasankaran, a tusker elephant, was bathed in a rainwater tank in the southern Indian town of Pathanamthitta.
The massive beast noticed a muddy pit nearby and attempted to drink from it, but it was too hefty for the soft ground surrounding it.
The elephant strained desperately to find a way out but fell back due to its huge weight.
Appu, the beast’s companion dog, kept barking until the mahout who cared for him arrived.
Villagers arrived with an excavator to pull Shivasankaran out, but the apparatus became stuck in the muck and was rendered useless.
They ultimately obtained a larger excavator that could be positioned on firmer ground and successfully released the injured elephant.
Hundreds of people watched as villagers grasped ropes wrapped around the elephant in an attempt to pull him out of the hole.
Appu never left his huge companion’s side during the res.cue, causing locals to refer to Shivasankaran as a “big person with a small pal.”
