Trapped baby elephant, rescued by JCB, tries to hug the machine in gratitude: Heart-melting video

In a touching incident from Chhattisgarh’s Raigarh district, a baby elephant was rescued after falling into a muddy pit near Chilkaguda village. The calf, which was part of a large herd roaming the Lailunga and Gharghoda forest ranges, got trapped while the herd was drinking and bathing nearby.

The young elephant struggled to climb out, and its distress calls echoed through the forest. On hearing the cries, local villagers quickly alerted forest officials. Without waiting for backup, they bravely approached the pit—despite the herd being close by—and, with the help of forest staff, used JCB machines and shovels to flatten the pit’s edges, making a path for the calf to escape.

Thanks to the joint effort, the calf was finally freed from the mud. In a moment that has since captured hearts online, the elephant appeared to show gratitude -it walked up to the JCB machine, touched it, and even attempted to “hug” it before reuniting with its herd.

The emotional moment was caught on camera and has gone viral on social media. Users have widely shared the clip, calling it “heartwarming” and praising the compassion shown by the villagers and forest officials.