There are many traps for animals in nature, and even more in the man-made world.
Time and again we hear of wild animals and pets getting stuck in the most unusual and dangerous situations.
The place where this elephant finds itself is not particularly unusual, but it is still in great danger and cannot help itself.
Trapped in a well
In the Chinese province of Yunnan, there is a large well in the middle of the countryside and somehow a group of four elephants got into it.
Maybe they wanted to bathe there, or maybe they fell in by mistake.
In any case, the well turned out to be a nasty trap because, unlike a natural pond, it has steep walls and a high stone edge.
People from the area see the four elephants trying to climb the edge, but failing again and again.
It is immediately clear that these elephants need help, so a rescue team is called.
When the rescuers arrive, they find only one elephant left in the well. They learn that three elephants have managed to climb out under their own steam.
Only the one poor pachyderm is still struggling. He simply can’t get a grip on the edge of the well and can’t manage to pull himself up.
Almost hopeless
It’s like leaning on the edge of a swimming pool and then trying to lift your body out of the water using only your arms.
Some people can do it – but it takes a lot of strength and skill. What’s more, the elephant has to lift a weight of eight tons.
How the other three managed it is a mystery, as is why they didn’t stay to try and help.
What is certain is that the men on the rescue team have to get the pachyderm out of the well somehow.
The fact that he is one of only around 300 elephants still living in the wild in China makes the matter even more urgent.
Clever idea and great gratitude
At first, the rescuers are at a loss. Pulling such a large, heavy animal out of the water is a very difficult task.
They have not yet given up hope that the elephant will be able to free itself.
One of the men realizes that the high edge is probably the problem. Without further ado, he grabs a sledgehammer and smashes through the edge of the well at one point.
When a large hole is created, the elephant sees his chance and tries to pull himself up again – this time successfully! In fact, only the edge was in the way.
The pachyderm stays up there for a few more minutes and looks gratefully at his clever rescuers before running off into the wild.
Watch the heart-wrenching rescue in the video:
Source: Animal Channel
