Wildlife officers saved a baby elephant that was stuck in the mud.

The rangers found the three-year-old jumbo while patrolling the forest for poachers and illegal activities at the Thap Lan National Park in Prachinburi province, Thailand on May 3.

Footage shows the officers digging around the hole filled with sludge and laying down thin branches to make a slanted pathway for the animal to climb.

They guided it up the slope, but the banks were too slippery. Despite many attempts, the officers were unsuccessful, so they paused the rescue mission to gather more resources.

However, when they returned the next day with machinery, the elephant was already gone, and adult footprints filled the area.

National Park head Prawatsart Chanthep said the baby elephant had already been retrieved by its mother and their herd.

He said: 'The baby elephant returned with them deeper into the forest.'

Prawatsart said that six baby elephants were also trapped there and had to be rescued from the same hole more than five years ago on March 27, 2019