An elephant has been rescued from a 50-foot-deep well after a 16-hour operation in India.

The rescue took place on Friday (20 November) in Panchapalli village in Dharmapuri district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The elephant had fallen into a well in a crop field the day before (Thursday). The well belongs to a local farmer named Venkatachalam.

Citing the local fire service, NDTV reported that Venkatachalam went looking for the animal after repeatedly hearing an elephant's calls. When he looked into the well he saw the elephant, and he immediately informed the fire service.

Local forest department staff also went to the spot, and the elephant was then hauled out with the help of a crane. Veterinarians and activists were present during the operation.

A video of the rescue has gone viral on social media. It shows the huge animal remaining completely calm as it was pulled out, and many people on social media praised the rescuers.

Indian forest officer Parveen Kaswan, who took part in the rescue, said: "The forest department rescued the elephant through a long rescue operation. The elephant was also given food during this time. The well was 50 feet deep."

A social media post carried with the report described the animal as a female elephant calf and said it was rescued "last night" after a 16-hour operation by fire department officials.

The report cited NDTV.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.