The elephant fell into the unmanned well earlier this week (Picture: Newslions / SWNS)

A 15-year-old elephant was trapped for 10 hours in an abandoned well before it was rescued.

The animal fell into a well in Ernakulam,in the southern Indian state of Kerala,on Tuesday at around 2.00am. According to the reports,the well didn’t have a wall,and was located near the home of doctor Thattayath Aliyar.

Forest officials rescued the elephant using an excavator,creating a mud ramp so it could safely escape.

Witnesses say the elephant struggled at first to climb out from the muddy water,but eventually managed to break free and return to the forest.

Forest department personnel were initially prepared to begin rescue operations in the early morning,but residents protested,demanding that the elephant be permanently relocated away from human habitation.

Villagers had their doubts about the rescue (Picture: Newslions / SWNS)

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Start your day informed with Metro's News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens.The elephant fell at around 2am (Picture: Newslions / SWNS)After a meeting,the area’s divisional forest officer,P. Karhik,assured villagers the elephant would be kept under 24-hour surveillance using drones and forest patrol teams upon release and would be captured if it were to stray into human areas again. Authorities also said they would compensate the homeowner for damages and install an electric fence in the region. Only after these demands were met did the rescue operation begin,around noon. Forest officials say that the top of the elephant’s trunk was damaged as part of an old wound. The injury restricts the elephant’s ability to forage for food and water,explaining why it frequently wanders into residential areas to find easily accessible sustenance.