A community in India is being applauded for rescuing a female elephant who fell into an open well.
Villagers in Odisha’s Sundargarh district encountered the elephant after she had somehow fallen into the deep, murky water. She was struggling desperately, thrashing with nearly her entire body submerged.
Forest and fire officials reported to the scene with rescue tools and worked for two hours alongside residents to free her. They placed long ropes underneath the elephant’s legs and pulled as hard as they could to lift her out of the water, with members of the surrounding crowd joining in the effort.
The elephant latched onto a tree branch and pulled herself into the mud at the water’s edge, where she struggled to gain her footing. With a final boost from her rescuers, she stood up and ran into the wilderness while the crowd cheered.
The heroic rescue, which was captured in this viral video, reminds us that by working together for a common cause, people can accomplish great things — especially when it comes to rescuing animals.
