A team from India's forest department performed a remarkable rescue yesterday (May 18) of an elephant that fell into a muddy pit.

A video of the incident in the Kodagu district of Karnataka state showed the stricken wild animal struggling to climb the steep sides of the pit.

Initially, rescuers attempt to clear a pathway for the wild animal with a mechanical digger.

When that doesn't work, they place the mechanical shovel of the JCB behind the elephant's hefty bottom and give it a big push until it clambers to safety.

The terrified animal then charges the digger repeatedly before rescuers scare it off into the jungle with firecrackers.

The forest officials rescued an elephant trying to get out of a muddy pit in southern India's Karnataka on May 18. The incident took place in the Siddapura village, located in the Kodagu district.

Visuals feature the jumbo trying to get out of the muddy pit. It struggles to lift its body and mount the elevated surface. However, the forest officials reach the spot and use an excavator to aid the elephant. They gently nudge the jumbo with the loader bucket from behind, following which the elephant gains support and successfully mounts the surface.

Meanwhile, the onlookers stood at a safe distance and cheered the proceedings. However, once on the ground, the elephant tried to aggressively tackle the loader bucket, following which the onlookers yelled at the jumbo to scare it off. Later, the officials also deployed a mild explosive in the region, which compelled the elephant to retreat to the woods.

Moreover, the rescue team included Deputy Range Forest Officers (DRFO) Ranjan KP, Chethan and Devaiah, Forest Guards Manikanta and Ravi, and officials associated with the Rapid Response Team (RRT), Mohan Raj, Sashi, and Krishnappa.