This is the heartwarming story of a mother elephant making an extraordinary bid to pull out her calf from an eight-feet-deep ditch.

She faces tough odds, but never gives up and accomplishes her rescue mission.

A massive herd of elephants passed through Shillobori village near Dudhnoi in Northeastern India on June 30, 2018.

A calf, which was moving with the herd, fell into a ditch that was being dug to store water.

Anxious to get away from the villagers, who had gathered in large numbers, the herd moved on.

But the calf’s mother stayed behind and tried to rescue the calf.

The ditch was deep, slippery with slush, and there was not enough space for the mother to get down to push her calf up.

“The mother would kneel and try to nudge her calf with her trunk and legs. But the calf kept slipping back,” said Upendra Kalita, an eyewitness.

“She worked relentlessly to save her baby. She would fail, circle the ditch seemingly thinking and then try again from a different angle,” added Upendra.

After nearly two hours the elephant and calf made a concerted effort.

With the mother pushing from behind, the calf managed to scramble up. As the villagers who were watching anxiously broke into a cheer, the mother and the calf walked briskly to join the herd, which was waiting at a distance.