An adolescent wild elephant that accidentally fell into an over 50-foot-deep well in southern India's Tamil Nadu was rescued following a 16-hour-long struggle on November 19.

The rescue operation was carried out at Panchapali village of Dharmapuri district.

Visuals from the rescue operation show a team of wildlife veterinarians led by Dr Prakash being lowered into the deep well to administer darts for tranquilising the animal.

The pachyderm was then tied to a heavy-duty crane on the ground using rope-like robust belts and was lifted to the surface level.

The elephant reportedly fell into the well after being chased by a group of dogs in the wee hours of November 19.

On hearing the animal cry out for help, locals immediately alerted officials.

The animal had been roaming around in the region with two other elephants for the past few days.

District Forest Officers S Prabhu from Krishnagiri and Rajkumar from Dharmapuri oversaw the rescue operation with over 50 other officials from the Forest Department, Fire Department and local police.

The entire rescue operation was led by Palacode Station Officer Selvam.

Two excavators, trucks and cranes were used to pull out the animal safely from inside the well. While the elephant was still stranded inside, coconut tree leaves were dropped down to feed it.

The elephant will be released into the Hosur forest area.

A sub-adult wild elephant that accidentally fell into an over 50-foot-deep well in southern India's Tamil Nadu was rescued following a 16-hour-long struggle on November 19. The rescue operation was carried out at Panchapali village of Dharmapuri district.

Visuals from the rescue operation show a team of wildlife veterinarians led by Dr Prakash being lowered into the deep well to administer darts for tranquilising the animal. The pachyderm was then tied to a heavy-duty crane on the ground using rope-like robust belts and was lifted to the surface level.

The elephant reportedly fell into the well after being chased by a group of dogs in the wee hours of November 19. On hearing the animal cry out for help, locals immediately alerted officials.

The animal had been roaming around in the region with two other elephants for the past few days.

District Forest Officers S Prabhu from Krishnagiri and Rajkumar from Dharmapuri oversaw the rescue operation with over 50 other officials from the Forest Department, Fire Department and local police. The entire rescue operation was led by Palacode Station Officer Selvam.

Two excavators, trucks and cranes were used in order to pull out the animal safely from inside the well. While the elephant was still stranded inside, coconut tree leaves were dropped down to feed it.

The elephant will be released into the Hosur forest area.