Elephant calf rescued from bottom of India well

As villagers watched, officials used an excavator to dig down to the elephant, which had fallen in as a herd passed through the area during the night.

The local fire department also lent a hand to pull the calf up out of the hole using ropes.

Elephants are worshipped in Indian and elephant-headed God Ganesh is one of the most popular in the Hindu pantheon and is considered auspicious but its divine status has not saved them from accidents.