Safari guides risked their lives to save young elephant stuck in the mud for four days but after freeing him they were forced to put him down

EXCLUSIVE: A young elephant spent up to four days stuck up to his neck in mud (pictured top right), using his little trunk as a snorkel, as safari guides and tourists in Zimbabwe battled to free him. Len Taylor, a guide at Gache Gache Lodge only a few minutes from where the elephant was stranded, climbed into the mud with the elephant and spent six hours battling to free him (main and bottom right). Despite finally dragging him to dry land, days under the fierce African sun without water or food proved too much and the elephant had to be put down.