This is the dramatic moment a cow trapped in a drain was rescued using a JCB in India.

Footage shows the animal lying helplessly in a ditch as emergency responders tie a rope around its legs and lift it to safety with the heavy machinery.

The Atal Kamdhenu Gau Sewa Sansthan team, led by NGO chairman Gaurav Mishra, carried out the rescue in Shahdol, Madhya Pradesh, on September 1.

Authorities confirmed the stray animal received medical care after the operation.

India has hundreds of thousands of cows roaming its streets.

It is partly 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.