Have you ever seen elephants climb a mountain?

Climbing this high is no easy tusk (sorry).

These Asian elephants found themselves having to tread very carefully as they grazed halfway up a mountain.

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In a truly incredible photograph - of territory more favourable to small nimble climbers - the animals were caught on camera picking their way carefully through the vegetation.

With a massive drop just to their left, it was not time to be caught flat-footed.

The photos were taken by graphic designer Santhosh Palaniswamy in Kothagiri, India.

The 28-year-old said: "I went to Kotagiri to go birdwatching, but on the way I saw 11 elephants eating grass on the steep slopes of the mountain.

"I could only wonder how the elephants manage to climb the hills.

"It's a very slippery mountain and I have no idea how they managed to balance.

"They seemed to cling to the edges of the mountain like goats.

"And I didn't only see it once. The first time I missed the chance to get a good photo because of bad weather.

"When I went back next week there was perfect light and the elephants were there, and I saw it as a golden opportunity to get a picture of them.

"It was a great thing to experience."