The rescue took place in Makindu in southern Kenya, where local farmers found a desperate young bull elephant trying to escape after being trapped for 12 hours.
Unable to help the large mammal up the steep clay sides, conservationists enlisted the help of a construction company, which was working on a nearby railway and whether a bulldozer was used to plow the path so the elephant could get out.
Conservation scientist and wildlife photographer Jeremy Goss, 30, was on the scene and was able to capture these dramatic images and video footage of the rescue bordering Chyulu Hills National Park farm fields.
He told Caters: “It was heartbreaking to see the elephant come out, especially as the community hadn’t been very supportive or able to help him out.”
” Elephants invade their crops (people) and are generally not welcome, but it was a shocking sight for them nonetheless. “
The little elephant is believed to have been searching for water in the area, which is experiencing an unusually intense dry spell, it is believed to have been skirting the agricultural fields of Chyulu Hills National Park, near the town of Makindu.
However conservationists and park rangers from the Kenya Wildlife Service and the Great Life Foundation rushed to the scene to help dig the animal out of its mud prison.
Following the rescue, rangers were called in to escort the elephant away from farmland and back into Chyulu Hills National Park in eastern Kenya.
Below is the dramatic video rescue:
Using all-terrain vehicles as well as a helicopter, they tried to take the young elephant in the direction of the national park for about 100 km, preventing it from heading towards other farms and human settlements.