A hapless albino buffalo was rescued after falling into a 10ft-deep hole while searching for mangoes in Thailand.

The female farm animal named Lightning Bolt wandered across the farm field while looking for low-hanging fruit in Nakhon Nayok province on May 4.

However, the clumsy buffalo failed to see the abandoned well in front of her while walking so she went straight to the bottom of the hole.

Shocked farmer Nisai Sringam, 60, rushed to call the animal rescuers when she heard the animal crying from the well.

Nisai said there was a thin metal sheet placed to cover the hole for safety but it broke when the heavy buffalo stepped on top of it.

She said: ‘My buffalo loves eating mango and will look for trees wherever she goes. She was walking toward a mango tree and stepped on the thin metal sheet.

‘The metal was placed to cover the abandoned well but it was not thick enough to hold my big buffalo so she fell into the hole.’

As the buffalo was too heavy to pull out, the rescuers poured water into the hole hoping that the buffalo would float and the animal was freed after half an hour.

The animal had small scratches on her back and front limbs but it appeared fine and returned to feeding on grass and looking for mangoes after being trapped under the well for almost an hour.

Nisai thanked the animal rescuers who checked on the wounds but said they were not serious and the buffalo was healthy.