Muddy hell: The baby elephant stuck fast in a track-side ditch (Picture: Barcroft)

This baby elephant landed itself in a right old mess after falling down a railway embankment.

Stuck fast in the muddy ravine, its attempts to get free failed time and again. Luckily, a train was passing by and passengers, upset to see the forlorn animal in a pickle, convinced the driver to stop so they could free it.

While one commuter enticed the elephant to the top of the ditch by holding out tree branches for it to eat, others joined the rescue and eventually pulled the animal out of its predicament.

Help: Passengers coax it to freedom (Picture: Barcroft)

The calf suffered no injuries in the fall and probably learned not to stray too far from the herd in future following its muddy misadventure.




Officials say the elephant had been walking across rail tracks in Goalpara, in the state of Assam, north-east India, when it fell into the ditch.

Accidents involving elephants in the country are not uncommon. On Monday, one was killed after it froze on tracks as a train sped towards it.

And seven elephants died when a train rammed them at 50mph in November – prompting calls to restrict rail speeds to protect India’s wild elephant population, estimated to be about 26,000.