Rescuers free elephant from mud pit in China
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The elephant was struggling to get out, with another trying to pull it out using its trunk and legs.
PHOTOS: SCREENGRAB FROM CHINACGMTL./TWITTER
BEIJING – A wild Asian elephant accidentally fell into a mud pit on Monday while playing with other members of a herd in a forest in Mengla County, in China’s south-western Yunnan province.
Border police who arrived at the scene saw the elephant struggling to get out, with another trying to pull it out using its trunk and legs.
However, as the pit was deep, and the surface was slippery, the trapped elephant was stuck.
Rescuers determined that the best chance of freeing the animal was through the use of an excavator to dig a ramp that the elephant could use to climb out.
The driver of the excavator operated the machine carefully, to not irritate the herd.
After 10 minutes, an exit ramp was formed, and the elephant finally made its escape.
While walking away, the animal waved its trunk towards the excavator, as if to give thanks.
The 2.5-tonne elephant then returned to the nature reserve with the rest of its herd. CHINA DAILY/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
