Indians pulled this baby elephant out of a sinkhole

GlobalPost

Accidents happen. In India, accidents involving elephants happen.

This poor baby pachyderm slipped next to a railway embankment in Assam, in northeastern India, and got stuck in a sinkhole.

The heartwarming part, as reported by the Telegraph, is that a passing train stopped and passengers helped the baby out of the sinkhole.

The elephant was reportedly frightened by the whole affair, but unharmed. Phew. 

Not all accidents in India involving elephants end so well.

Please be forewarned there is a graphic image at the bottom of this article.

In November of last year, a train ploughed into a herd of elephants in West Bengal state, killing seven, including two calves, as they lumbered across the tracks in a forest.

Below is an image from that accident, which left an elephant dangling from a bridge. 

India is home to around 25,000 Asian elephants but their numbers are dwindling, mainly due to poaching and destruction of their habitats by humans.


(AFP/Getty Images)

Sign up for our daily newsletter

Sign up for The Top of the World, delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.