A heartwarming moment from Chhattisgarh woods went viral in which forest officials freed a baby elephant stuck in a muddy pit, and the calf’s act of gratitude won hearts on the web.
The accident took place in Raigarh district’s Lailunga-Gharghoda forest range, where a group of elephants had assembled to drink and bathe. In the commotion, one calf fell into a deep, muddy slush pit and could not climb out. Its cries woke up local villagers, who immediately alerted the forest department.
After the possible threat of the nearby herd of elephants, forest officials arrived early and initiated the rescue.Ironing out the edges of the pit using the support of a JCB machine and spades provided a gradient that allowed the trapped calf to walk out safely.
The most emotional moment was after the rescue. After being freed, the elephant calf walked towards the JCB and lovingly ran its trunk on it, looking to be doing so as an expression of gratitude. The moment, recorded by ANI in a video, was posted online with the description: “An elephant calf shows gratitude after it was rescued from a mud pit in the forest area by the personnel of the Forest Department in Gharghoda, Raigarh.”
Take a look:
#WATCH | An elephant calf shows gratitude after it was rescued from a mud pit in the forest area by the personnel of the Forest Department in Gharghoda, Raigarh
Video source: Forest Department pic.twitter.com/1kZsUrshvI
— ANI (@ANI) June 5, 2025
Social Media Reactions
The video has been watched more than 59,000 times and has resonated with the audience on social media. One user posted, “This is true gratitude, something many humans have forgotten.” Another user said, “Sometimes it seems like animals are nicer than people.” The clip was also labeled as the “sweetest thing on the internet today.”
Other responses expressed appreciation for the wholesomeness of the moment, as users comment, “This melted my heart,” and “Some animals are more human than most humans.” One touching comment observed, “Humans are the only species who don’t show gratitude and rather bite the hand that feeds them.”
This heartwarming expression of gratitude from the baby elephant has acted as a soothing reminder of kindness and understanding between humans and animals.
