it was all's well that ends well for this young elephant after it fell into a mud pit in kenya after wallowing in the dank ditch for up to 12 hours, these images and video capture the dramatic moment a digger saved the large mammal from a trunkful of trouble in a heroic rescue mission the heart rending rescue took place near makindu in southern kenya, where local farmers were shocked to find the distressed male elephant desperately trying to escape from a deep mud pit scroll down for video  the digger gets to work to save the stricken elephant after he got stuck in the well in chyulu hills national park, southern kenya  the young mammal was stuck wallowing in the dank ditch for up to 12 hours before he was able to make its way out of the muddy water  this is the moment the elephant made its break for safety, after the digger was able to create a gentle slope out of the heavy clay  unable to help the large mammal climb the steep clay sides, wildlife conservationists enlisted the aid of a heroic construction company, who used their digger to plough the elephant to safety conservation scientist and wildlife photographer jeremy goss, 30, was on the scene to capture these dramatic photos and video footage of the courageous rescue on farmland bordering chyulu hills national park he said: 'it was heartbreaking to see the elephant in the well, particularly because the community had not been very keen or able to help it out 'elephants raid their crops and are generally not welcome, but it was a shocking sight for them nonetheless' it is believed the young african elephant, which can weigh up to seven tonnes, the same weight as a london double decker bus, had been trapped in the murky sludge for up to 12 hours after it fell in the well while taking a drink the elephant was thought to be searching for water in the area, which is experiencing an unusually intense dry period, when it discovered the man made drinking well on farmland bordering the park, near the town of makindu local farmers were shocked to find the male elephant desperately trying to escape from a deep mud pit he had been trying to drink from  the rescue took place near the town of makindu conservation scientist and wildlife photographer jeremy goss, 30, captured what happened  the elephant was thought to be searching for water in an area of southern kenya which is experiencing an unusually intense dry period  the young elephant appears to make a plea for help with his trunk (left), through which he was at least able to breath while he was stuck (right) wildlife conservationists and park rangers from the kenya wildlife service and big life foundation were quick to the scene to help excavate the animal from its muddy prison after it became clear there was no way for wildlife rangers to break the slippery bank, it was left to a digger from chinese company china road and bridge corporation, working on a nearby railway, to cultivate a gap in the bank allowing the mammal to walk to freedom exhausted from the ordeal, the elephant, which was too tired to move from the ditch, was eventually encouraged to make its dash out onto the open plains after being nudged by the digger jeremy said: 'this elephant had gone into a human dominated farming area that borders a national park at night to find water in a man made well 'the area has been experiencing a very dry period and water is hard to find 'he must have slipped in while drinking and couldn't get out because of the steep clay sides 'wildlife conservationists watched helplessly for hours as the animal struggled in the well, but thankfully the chinese construction company came to the rescue by providing the machine wildlife conservationists and park rangers from the kenya wildlife service and big life foundation were quick to the scene  the elephant enjoys his new found freedom he was exhausted from the ordeal and was nearly too tired to move from the ditch  the elephant was eventually encouraged to make its dash out onto the open plains after being nudged by the digger  'the digger managed to get the elephant out by digging one side out of the well, the operator having to make precision movements to avoid hitting the elephant in the small well 'once it emerged, it seemed very tired but otherwise seemingly unharmed' following the rescue, rangers were called upon to escort the elephant from the farmland back into chyulu hills national park, home to the highest mountain range in eastern kenya using land cruisers in tandem with a helicopter, the rangers tried to push the elephant in the direction of the 100 kilometre long national park, preventing it from moving back towards other farms and settlements jeremy said: 'there was then a difficult process where rangers had to prevent the elephant from moving back towards other farms, there were still lots of people that had been watching the rescue and they had to flee as the elephant ran in different directions 'but it was a wonderful moment watching him escape from the well it was because of humans that he ended up in trouble, but humans were able to help him survive 'i just hope that he moved back into the safe natural area, and takes bit more care next time he goes for a drink' using land cruisers and a helicopter, rangers tried to push the elephant in the direction of the 100 kilometre long chyulu hills national park  the move was needed to keep the male from heading back towards other farms and settlements where he may have got into more trouble 
chyulu hills national park makindu kenya african
images capture dramatic moment the mammal bounded to safety after being stuck in the dank well for 12 hours . chyulu hills national park near the town of makindu in southern kenya was the scene for the rescue . young african elephant was desperate for a drink in an area which is experiencing an unusually intense dry period . digger was able to carve out a gentle slope the heavy clay up which the elephant could make his escape 