Baby elephant stuck in manhole in Thailand...

[Muadib]

Baby elephant stuck in manhole in Thailand | World News | News.com.au

Baby elephant stuck in manhole in Thailand

By staff writers
NEWS.com.au
August 11, 2009 07:23am


Heads up ... a baby elephant waits for rescue after falling in a manhole / AP

A BABY elephant ended up wedged in a street manhole after falling into a drainage ditch in eastern Thailand.

The young elephant looked on pleadingly with its front legs positioned at the edge of the roughly metre-square hole while rescuers worked for three hours to free it.

Eventually a bulldozer was employed to widen the hole and allow the elephant to escape.

The young pachyderm emerged physically unharmed.

The elephant had fallen into the hole after its trainer had taken it out to work on the street in Rayong province.

Elephants are a common sight in many Thai towns and cities either performing heavy manual work or being used as a prop by beggars and buskers to solicit money from passers-by.

Baby elephants are especially favoured and usually perform a repertoire of tricks.

Concerns over cruelty have led to the banning of elephant displays in many areas of Thailand.

However this has done little to curb the practice with many elephant owners and trainers, known as mahouts, working their animals for long hours every day.

[Muadib]

Dailymotion - Baby elephant gets struck in manhole - a News & Politics video

[kmart]

Poor thing... Great photo, though.

[dirtydog]

[Norton]

The elephant had fallen into the hole after its trainer had taken it out to work on the street in Rayong province

Allowing elephants on urban streets is ridiculous. If they don't fall in drainage covers they will be whacked by a vehicle. As long as tourists and locals continue to feed or photograph the elephants for money their owners will continue to bring them to the cities.

[withnallstoke]

Was expecting a photo of some pervs ringpiece with half a zoo hanging out of it. As if Gerbils aren't large enough.

[English Noodles]

Allowing elephants on urban streets is ridiculous. If they don't fall in drainage covers they will be whacked by a vehicle. As long as tourists and locals continue to feed or photograph the elephants for money their owners will continue to bring them to the cities.

Yep, it's a disgrace.

Pleased to see that this time the thing seems to have been unharmed by the event.

[Gerbil]

Was expecting a photo of some pervs ringpiece with half a zoo hanging out of it. As if Gerbils aren't large enough.

Eh?

[withnallstoke]

Eh?

Soz. No offence meant.

[The Fresh Prince]

Baby elephants are especially favoured and usually perform a repertoire of tricks.

This one was just practising his vanishing act.