Residents of a village in Thailand found something unexpected in their well on Sunday: a baby elephant.
The one-month old elephant had been separated from its herd as it moved through the Phayao Province region of Thailand. The (relatively) small animal then somehow got trapped in the deep well where the villagers found her seemingly scared and desperate to get out.
The villagers called a local animal rescue organization who came out armed with a backhoe. The group was able to carve out a pathway for the elephant who then walked to freedom, her mother, and, hopefully, safety. Watch the full video below:
In March, the prime minister of Thailand pledged to end the nation’s ivory trade in response to growing calls from international wildlife groups desperate to stop the slaughter of African elephants. Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, promised to close a loophole in Thai law that allowed smugglers to ferry tusks from African elephants to Thai markets and often to China, the world’s top destination for illegal ivory.
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