A baby elephant was rescued with just minutes to spare after spending over 12 hours stuck in a mudpool.
The young bull was spotted with mud up to its neck by a group of tourists on safari along the Zambezi River in Africa.
When the rescue team arrived it became apparent that they needed to act quickly as the baby pachyderm struggled to free its trunk and was close to drowning.
Mr White said it was likely the elephant had become trapped the evening before and after surviving for more than 12 hours wouldn't have lasted much longer.
He said: 'Elephants are particularly drawn to these areas and when moving towards the luscious vegetation they become stuck and sink deep into the mud, causing them to dehydrate and loose blood circulation to their legs.'
'The only safe place to put the rope is around his neck. Elephants have a very strong neck that can take a lot of strain. If we had tried to pull him out by any part of his legs which eventually become exposed, we risked breaking them.
'When he was finally free and lay on the solid ground we had to act fast and get him to his feet, to allow the blood to circulate.
'Towing straps were placed under his belly and with our team off staff we heaved him to his feet manually.
'So far the baby is doing well and although he is very young he is able to look after himself.
'We are keeping an eye on him though to make sure he doesn't get into any more sticky situations.'
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