This is the heartwarming moment five elephants were rescued from an abandoned goldmine in Malaysia.
Video shows a digger excavating a ramp before the three adults, juvenile and baby scramble up it and disappear back into the jungle in Pekan yesterday.
Wildlife officials said they spent six hours working to rescue the elephant family yesterday.
This is the heartwarming moment five elephants are rescued from an abandoned goldmine
Wildlife officers in Pekan, Malaysia, dug a ramp for the animals to escape up
The matriarch headed up the ramp first before being followed by the rest of her family
Footage shows the five elephant huddled together in the hole with steep sides, which is filled with water, as a digger cuts out an escape route.
Once complete, the officials started shouting at the elephants which moved towards the ramp.
The largest elephant, possibly the group leader or matriarch, is first to stumble up the ramp before the others scamper after her.
The Department of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsular Malaysia (Perhilitan) said they received the emergency call in the morning and rushed to the area.
Director Rozaidan Md Yasin said: ‘Four officers who were checking the scene found that the elephants could not come out because of the muddy area.
Footage shows the elephants stumbling up the newly-dug ramp after it was created by wildlife officers who had first tried to coax the elephants out of the hole
It took six hours to rescue the animals, according to the Department of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsular Malaysia
‘The four officers found out that the path was too steep for the elephants to escape.
‘We had to ask for help from a nearby mining company to use their excavator to dig and make way for the elephant.
‘The rescue operation took six hours in total. It was completed at 6pm and the elephants were healthy. They returned to the jungle.’