Mama elephant and baby saved from manhole in Thailand. See pics of dramatic rescue

The mama elephant fell into the manhole while trying to rescue her baby who got stuck earlier. The incident took place in Thailand's Khao Yai National Park.

Veterinarians and park staff pulled off a dramatic rescue of a pair of elephants in Thailand this week that saw the use of a boom lift, a digger and the resuscitation of an unconscious mother by three people.

An elephant calf is seen inside a manhole during a rescue. The baby and mother elephant fell into a manhole in Khao Yai National Park. (REUTERS)

The rescue took place in the pouring rain in central Nakhon Nayok province on Wednesday when a one-year-old elephant fell into a roadside drainage hole. The distressed mother stood guard over her calf, according to national park staff, but also fell in shortly after she was sedated.

An elephant calf is seen inside a manhole after a baby and mother elephant fell into a manhole in Khao Yai National Park. (REUTERS)

Rescue workers use an excavator as they rescue an elephant calf after it fell into a manhole. (REUTERS)

Rescue workers use a crane to lift up a mother elephant after it fell into a manhole. (REUTERS)

A veterinarian rescues a mother elephant after it fell into a manhole. (REUTERS)

Rescuers used a truck-mounted boom lift to pull the mother out before climbing on top of her to perform simultaneous cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) as a digger cleared away earth so the anxious calf could climb out from the slippery mud.

Rescue workers perform CPR for a mother elephant after it fell into a manhole in Khao Yai National Park, Nakhon Nayok province, Thailand. (REUTERS)

The calf began suckling its mother, who soon regained consciousness, and both returned immediately to the wild.