A cow had gone to graze in a pond covered with weeds and grass, which caved in under the weight of the animal.

A passerby in Jhalwar town in central India saw the cow hanging on to its dear life on October 21.

He called Goputra Sena, a non profit animal rescue organisation, whose members led by Vinit Torwal went to spot.

The cow was staying afloat by delicately balancing on the slender plants and was barely visible. Rescuers realised that the plants were too fragile to carry their weight as well.

Vinit said: "I stuck a pole inside and found that the water was 18-feet-deep. To play it safe, we called a crane to pull out the cow."

Vinit first went alone riding the bucket of the crane, which had to descend from a height of 40 feet, to clear the wild growth and reach the stranded animal.

But he was unable to put a strap around the cow and had to try again with a team member.

Working together they succeeded in putting a harness around the cow and lifted it to safety.