This is the heartbreaking moment a mother elephant tried to rouse her lifeless calf.

Forest range officer Shri Jayanta Mondal witnessed the grieving elephant attempting to carry the carcass of her deceased child into the woods on November 21.

Footage shows the adult jumbo using its trunk to drag its baby to safety, away from predators nearby.

Local media reported that the majestic animal had been dragging the deceased calf for several days.

Forest rangers said that they had seen situations where the entire herd would participate in a sombre ceremony resembling a funeral procession. They said it highlights the strong emotional bonds between wild elephants.

Indian Forest Service Officer Parveen Kaswan said: 'This is not our first such case. I have personally seen several similar instances during my many years of field service. At times, the whole herd partakes in the ritual, which resembles a funeral procession.'

Research suggests that Asian elephants carry their deceased calves to isolated locations, away from humans and carnivores, while searching for irrigation drains and depressions to bury the carcass.

The sub-continent has at least 30,000 wild elephants - more than any other country and approximately 60 per cent of the world's entire Asian elephant population.