Heartbreaking moment mother elephant refuses to give up on its dead calf, carrying the animal over a mile to try and revive it in water, even nudging it and trumpeting her trunk

This is the heartbreaking moment a mother elephant tries to revive its dead calf by nudging it while trumpeting its trunk.

The footage, captured in Assam, India, shows the elephant nudging the dead calf with its feet while trumpeting its trunk as it lies dead in a river.

The newborn elephant had wandered away from the herd and died three days ago, according to NDTV.

But the mother elephant carried the calf for up to two kilometres and tried to resuscitate it by placing it in the river stream.

Indian Forest Service officer Susanta Nanda shared the clip on Twitter and said it ‘broke his heart’.

Mr Nanda said: ‘This broke my heart. The calf has died but mother doesn’t give up. Carries the dead baby for two kilometres and tries to revive it by placing in water. And the mother’s cries ranting the air.’

The video, which has been viewed over 43,000 times, has received 996 likes and over 200 retweets.

One user said: ‘Very sad to see the Mother’s Sorrow’. Another added: ‘Oh my God, so so heartbreaking and a terrible scenario for a mother and her love for her baby.’

And another said: ‘The depth of a mother’s bond and love knows no bounds – be it a human or an animal mother.’

In April this year, a baby elephant was found guarding her dead mother’s body after she ate poisonous crops in Thailand.

The 11-month-old elephant Park Mae Mae escaped her enclosure with her mother Moke Chue, 31, and wandered into a plantation to feed on the corn in Tak province.

But her mother unknowingly ate crops that were heavily-sprayed with pesticides and fertilisers, which are believed to have poisoned the adult jumbo.

The orphaned Park Mae Mae was discovered by villagers around 12 hours after her mother died, refusing to leave the elephant’s body.

Footage shows the confused baby elephant beside her collapsed mother as it strokes her back with its trunk.

The dead elephant’s body was taken for an autopsy while the mahout’s elephants were taken to the facility.

Elephants are the national animal of Thailand. An estimated 2,000 elephants are living in the wild and a similar number in captivity.

They are protected by laws and killing them carries a maximum prison term of up to three years and a fine of 1,000 baht (£25).