This is the heartwarming moment a missing baby elephant was rescued after being separated from its mother.

The lost baby jumbo was seen wandering alone in fields in Phetchabun province, Thailand, scavenging for food on September 12.

It walked in the middle of corn rows looking for something edible until farmers noticed him. They called National Park officers who arrived and gave the elephant milk and bananas.

They believe the elephant had been separated from its herd for at least one night. However, with no sign of its family, they were unable to release the baby as it would struggle to survive alone.

The team led the baby jumbo back into the jungle and placed it inside a makeshift wooden enclosure with bananas and milk inside so it will stay put in the temporary shelter.

They waited for a few hours before the animal was comfortable in its bamboo home and took turns bringing food.

Rangers hope that the mother elephant will find her lost child and break down the bamboo shelter for it to return to the herd.

National Park Director Sutin Prompalad said the young jumbo still needed breastfeeding, so they would not let it return to the wild alone.

He said: "We made an enclosure from bamboo sticks for the baby. We will keep an eye on him until the mother returns looking for her child. They can communicate with each other by making sounds.

"There is no date set for releasing the animal. We will wait a few days before the mother appears.''

Thailand has at least 2,000 elephants living in the wild and a similar number in captivity. They live in sanctuaries,elephant parks, zoos, tourist resorts or with private owners who use them for weddings and religious ceremonies.