A mahout risks his life to pull a newborn baby elephant from under its mother - and gets swept off his feet when she KICKS him in the air.

The 16-year-old cow had been in pain for three days when the baby finally started to arrive on September 27 in Chonburi, Thailand.

Her legs were tied to each corner of her enclosure for safety when the newborn boy dropped from her stomach.

The mahout dashed in to grab the baby - which was tangled in the umbilical cord - and to prevent the elephant from standing on her baby.

But the mother delivered a powerful kick to his body which sent him in the air and falling onto his stomach.

She then struggled to stay on her feet but staff at the Nong Nooch Garden bravely tried again and retrieved the baby to give it care.

The elephant centre’s manager Patthanan Khantipsukphan said the birth had been a complicated one but both mother elephant and baby had recovered after.