This is the touching moment a female elephant rescued a baby from another herd which was abandoned by its mother when it became stuck in an irrigation channel.

The matriarch elephant tries and tries again to haul the stricken baby from the concrete gutter but to no avail.

Eventually - after trying for around half an hour - she manages to push the baby onto its feet and lead it to the safety of her herd.

The baby elephant is later reunited with its mother.

The touching moment was captured in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe.

Although the clip was filmed in 2015, it has only recently come to light.