Heartwarming video of a mother elephant being reunited with her calf after it fell into a well at Thattekad in Kerala on November 24.

After the young elephant was rescued, it ran towards the herd which had waited patiently all day long in the vicinity. The mother elephant ran towards her baby trumpeting in happiness.

Once reunited with her young, in a baffling move, she turned towards the people and raised her trunk – a gesture usually interpreted in India as a thankful salute by elephants.

On the night before that, the calf had fallen into an abandoned well as the herd was passing through the village.

The distressed trumpeting of the animals woke up the villagers, who informed the forest officials.

As the rescue operations started at 7 am, the herd moved away but stood nearby waiting patiently.

The officials brought in an excavator, which created a slanting pathway over the next five hours, for the young elephant to escape the well.

The herd greeted its calf with a stunning display of affection and then crossed the nearby Urulanthanni river and moved away.