Indian officials saved an elephant mother and her calf after a marathon rescue effort lasting over 48 hours.

The mother elephant was spotted stranded in a swamp by villagers near Sakleshpur in South India on November 26. Though the calf was not stuck in the swamp, it desperately clung to its helpless mother.

The local forest officials rushed to the spot and started the rescue work. They tried to drain the swamp and brought in two domesticated elephants to haul the mother up.

But the mother elephant, which was too deeply stuck in the swamp, could not be removed.

Then they brought in a digger and moved the elephant around freeing it from the slushy mud.

On November 28, they tied the mother elephant to ropes and managed to haul her up with the digger.

A senior forest official, Shiv Babu, who had camped at the site, said the mother elephant was injured in both of her front limbs. “She and the calf would be shifted to a nearby elephant camp for medical treatment,” he added.

Indian officials saved an elephant mother and her calf after a marathon rescue effort lasting over 48 hours.

The mother elephant was spotted stranded in a swamp by villagers near Sakleshpur in South India on November 26. Though the calf was not stuck in the swamp, it desperately clung to its helpless mother.

The local forest officials rushed to the spot on receiving an alert and started the the rescue work. They tried to drain the swamp and brought in two domesticated elephants to haul the mother up.

But the mother elephant, which was too deeply stuck in the swamp, could not be removed.

Then they brought in a digger and moved the elephant around freeing it from the slushy mud.

On November 28, they tied the mother elephant to ropes and managed to haul her up with the digger.

A senior forest official, Shiv Babu, who had camped at the site, said the mother elephant was injured in both of her front limbs. “She and the calf would be shifted to a nearby elephant camp for medical treatment,” he added.