Six baby elephants rescued from muddy pit after being trapped for days

This is the heartwarming moment six baby elephants were rescued from a muddy pit after being trapped there for days.

The rangers found the distressed elephant calves last Wednesday (27/03) afternoon as they were struggling to climb the pit's steep, slippery banks in the Thap Lan National Park in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.

Several park rangers stayed overnight with the elephants to try to calm them while others left to get help. They returned the next morning with hoes and pickaxes to dig out enough mud to form a ramp.

Several older elephants related to the calves were also circling in the surrounding woodland as they tried to keep watch over the youngsters.

Footage shows the moment the elephants finally made it out of the filthy, wet hole and went trudging back into the forest a few metres away.

Park staff cheered and yelled ‘’go on, babies’’ as the elephants made their great escape.

One elephant struggles, slips and falls, but finally all make it out of the muck. The last of the animals then lingers, after all the others have made it past the tree line. It faces the rangers for a moment, turns, pauses and finally runs into the jungle. "Gone, they're gone,'' cries a ranger, as the rescue crew comes together to celebrate.

Park chief Prawatsart Chantep said: ‘’It was lucky that the park staff found the elephants. They had been there for at least two days. They were weak and hungry.

‘’We don’t know how they fell into the pit but they had become separated from the herd. Rangers will track the family over the coming weeks to ensure they’re safe.’’