This was the moment an elephant calf climbed out of an irrigation tank after a long strenuous struggle.

The elephant is believed to have gone looking for food before stumbling into the tank near the town of Malavalli in southern India.

The clip, filmed on November 22, shows the elephant struggling to climb out as the rescue team uses a digger to widen the hole.

A team of forest officials and onlookers cheered on as the calf heaved itself out of the tank after a 30-minute struggle.

This was the heartwarming moment an elephant calf climbed out of an irrigation tank after a strenuous struggle.

An elephant herd stepped out of a forest near Malavalli taluk in southern India looking for food on the night of November 21.

A few elephants stopped to drink water at a small tank when a calf fell into it.

Though the irrigation tank was small, the calf was unable to climb out. The herd stood at a distance crying in distress. The next morning, a team of forest officials led by Range Forest Officer Mahadeva Swamy went to the spot and dug up the tank clearing a path for the calf.

As the officials and the onlookers cheered on, the calf struggled for about 30 minutes to heave itself out of the tank. The crowd broke into an applause as it climbed out and joined its herd.