This is the moment a cow stuck upside-down in a drain was rescued by locals in India.

The bull was walking through a village when it stumbled into the channel along Singhpur Road in Madhya Pradesh state, on March 10.

Passers-by called for help after seeing the hapless cow exhausted under the sweltering heat.

Footage shows several men trying to winch the heavy farm animal using ropes. They managed to pull the cow upright, allowing it to walk out of the drain on its own.

Rescuer Gaurav Mishra said: 'The cow was successfully rescued by our team. It took a lot of effort because of its weight, but we were able to guide it back to safety.'

India has hundreds of thousands of cows roaming its streets.

It is party due to devout locals who follow Hindu customs, with cows regarded as sacred animals that cannot be eaten or slaughtered once they have stopped producing milk. The majority of states ban the sale or slaughter of cows.

Instead of dealing with the economic burden of keeping their spent cattle, many farmers let the beasts roam the streets - leading to chaos when the animals become agitated and turn their fury on humans.