This adorable baby elephant tried to score a goal - only to get stuck in the football net while emulating the World Cup.

The two-year-old baby jumbo named Tula was practicing his football skills at the Khao Soi Dao Wildlife Sanctuary in Chanthaburi province, Thailand, on November 21.

With carers inspired by the World Cup in Qatar, they let loose Tula on the pitch. But his skills left a lot to be desired and he ended up tangled in the goal net.

Veterinarian Pairot Promwat said: 'Tula is a healthy baby elephant. He fed on milk 23 times a total of 13.3 liters and sleeps for an average of one hour each time. He is cheerful and shows no signs of stress.

'We use a blanket to keep him warm at night, wipe his body in the morning, and then bring him for an evening walk in the evening.'

Tula the baby elephant was taken into care after being abandoned by his herd and found injured in the forest.

He was unable to fend for himself in the wild and has been slowly recovering at the wildlife sanctuary since October 11.

Thailand has an estimated 2,000 Asian elephants living in the wild where they wander freely among protect forests. However, there is often conflict when they come into contact with humans on roads and in villages.

A similar number of elephants are kept in captivity where they work in the tourist industry or get hired out for religious festivals and weddings. A small number still work in commercial logging.