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By Ottilie von Henning

A bull elephant was dramatically hoisted upside down while sedated by wildlife experts during a major relocation back to the wild.

The extraordinary operation saw the huge animal carefully lifted from captivity in a tightly controlled procedure before being transported to his new life in the African wilderness.

The elephant, named Tswale, had spent decades in captivity before finally being returned to the wild last year in what conservationists have described as a landmark moment.

Working in close collaboration over many years, teams from the Aspinall Foundation helped relocate Tswale to the Eastern Cape in South Africa, where he was gradually introduced to a protected reserve.

His long-term handler, Amos, was on hand to ease the transition.

Images from the operation show the sedated bull suspended upside down in a web of straps and rigging, lifted by multiple handlers.

In the days after his arrival, Tswale began communicating across vast distances, reportedly sending low-frequency rumbles to other wild elephants kilometers away.

He eventually wandered off and made contact with a wild herd.

Rangers later confirmed sightings of Tswale among other elephants, where he now appears fully integrated and set to spend the rest of his life roaming free in his natural habitat.