Dramatic rescue of lion stuck in 60ft well caught on video

The dramatic moment a critically endangered Asiatic lion was rescued from a 60ft well has been caught on camera.

The eight-year-old lion was distressed after being stuck in the well for an hour, reports the Mirror.

Villagers in Amrapur in Gujarat, India, informed forest officers that the lion had fallen into the open well, and they desperately worked to try and save the animal from drowning.

The lion can be seen treading water, and also trying to get stability on a small bed that had been lowered in, as rescuers try and hoist it up with ropes.

Ramesh Katara, deputy conservator of forest for the local Junagadh district, told The Indian Express: "We tranquilised the lion and pulled it out of the well.

It was in good health despite the fall. But we have sent it to animal care centre in Sasan-Gir as a precautionary measure.

"It will be kept under observation there for some time before we release it in the wild."

KGNS.tv reports that the lion fell into the well after straying into the village looking for food.

Mr Katara added: "There was no parapet on the edges of the well and the lion fell into it in the dark of the night."

Many farmers in the area have been helped by the forest department to build parapets around their wells to prevent lion deaths.

Asiatic lions are highly protected under Indian wildlife laws and are an endangered species.