This is the heartwarming moment an elephant calf was rescued after plunging down a drain at a golf course in eastern Thailand.

The baby jumbo had wandered away from its mum and plunged into the 8ft deep water-filled hole at the Chatrium Golf Resort in Chanthaburi province on May 15.

His worried mother was standing over the drain seemingly trying to comfort her baby. They had been there for several hours through the night before locals heard them in the morning.

Wildlife officers, vets, and volunteers from the nearby Khao Soi Dao Wildlife Sanctuary were called to the scene to rescue the struggling animal.

Footage shows the calf reaching its trunk out to its worried mum standing next to the drain as a backhoe carefully demolished the cement structure.

After two hours, the rescue team created an opening wide enough for the baby elephant to climb out. It was reunited with its mum unharmed.

The pair later rejoined their herd and continued walking into the nearby forest.

Conservationist Na Anupin, who helped with the elephant rescue, said: 'The baby was inexperienced. This is why it fell into the ditch. Sometimes they cannot see the hazard.

'Thankfully this happened in a place where there were people who could hear them and call for help. The elephant calf was not injured but we will monitor his movements. He will remember this lesson for the rest of his life and will not fall into holes any more.'

Thailand has an estimated 2,000 Asian elephants living in the wild - down from 100,000 a century ago - and around 3,000 in captivity owned privately. In the wild they are seen wandering freely among protected forests, occasionally appearing on the roads that run through them.

Male Asian elephants, unlike African elephants, roam alone once they are over ten years old while females remain with the herd. They are most during mating season from November to January when they emerge from the jungles in search of a mate.

There is conflict when they come into contact with humans on rural roads and in villages so wildlife rangers are tasked with monitoring their movements.