Elephant Rescued from Well in Crazy Video

This tops every video this week ... an enormous elephant hoisted from a well and pulled to safety ... and it only took 12 hours!!!

It was an incredible feat. The majestic beast fell into a deep well in India and rescuers jumped into action. The dilemma -- how to pull all that tonnage up to solid ground.

The rescue effort began in daylight Thursday but extended into darkness, as the elephant was secured by ropes and then a crane was dispatched to lift the creature.

The animal was sedated and slowly ... it was lifted from the base of the well and ascended.

When all was said and done, the elephant emerged from the darkness ... with cheers from rescuers and onlookers. It was freed from the ropes and stood with obvious relief. The elephant's fine!

Apparently, wells are an attractive nuisance for elephants ... 2 others have fallen into Indian wells recently ... not to be confused with Indian Wells outside Palm Springs.