Deogarh: In a daring rescue operation, forest officials in Deogarh district saved an elephant calf that fell into a well, on Tuesday.
As per reports, the incident occurred in Khalipasi village under the Riamal range of the Deogarh forest division. A herd of 14 elephants had been roaming in the area, and on Monday night, they ventured into Khalipasi village in search of food. One calf accidentally fell into a well near a banana plantation. The herd, upon noticing the calf’s pain, began trumpeting and gathered around the well. On a tip-off, the forest team sprang into action.
Assistant Conservator of Forests, Swadhinata Sahani, led the rescue operation, assisted by forest officials, including Range Officer Niranjan Dhurua, and forest guards.
The rescue operation, which lasted around 1.5 hours, involved breaching a portion of the well’s wall using a JCB excavator. The calf was safely reunited with its mother and the rest of the herd.
The successful rescue operation was praised by Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Sushant Nanda highlighting the coordinated efforts of the team.
Taking to his X handle, Nanda wrote: “Chotu fell into an abandoned well, while field staff started making a ramp the mother kept guard all along. The calf came out & immediately rushed to the mother. After the reunion, mother thanked the savours… Well done team Deogarh.”
ACF Sahani, who led the rescue operation, said, “Last night, a herd of 14 elephants wandered into the village to feed on crops. Tragically, one elephant calf accidentally fell into a well. Our team rushed to the scene, but heavy fog delayed our rescue efforts until dawn. We launched the operation in the early morning and successfully rescued the calf, reuniting it with its relieved mother and herd. I’m proud of our team’s tireless efforts to save this precious life.”
