A baby elephant has been rescued after it fell into an empty water storage pit in south-west China. The tiny calf is said to have become trapped after venturing near the pit next to a nature reserve in the Yunan Province.

According to reports, the elephant could have been in the pit for over 24 hours.The calf was found in the two metre deep ditch by local residents on Wednesday. The villagers then alerted police, who came to help with rescue the elephant.

Officials believe that the elephant slipped into the pit after heavy rain had caused the surrounding area to become slippery.


A police spokesman said: “Looking at the scene the elephant probably fell into the hole yesterday.After an hour of attempts to haul itself out, the elephant was eventually able to escape, before running into the forest.

The tiny elephant is now expected to join back up with its herd. (Source)