In a heartwarming rescue, forest officials and local fishermen saved a newborn elephant calf after strong currents in West Bengal’s Teesta River swept it nearly 5 kilometres downstream. The three- to four-day-old calf had become separated from its mother in Gajoldoba.
Knowing about the incident, the Baikunthapur Forest Division team, with help from local fishermen, rushed to the spot and launched an investigation and rescued the calf as it struggled to stay afloat in the river.
How was the calf rescued?
Fishermen first spotted the calf struggling in the water as waves continued to push it further downstream. Its small trunk remained above the water as it tried to stay afloat.
The group rowed towards the calf and brought the boat nearer to rescue it. Three of the fishermen then got into the water and helped pull the calf onto the boat. As the boat headed back towards the riverbank, the three fishermen swam alongside it, pushing the boat against the current.
The calf was then brought to the bank and handed over to forest personnel. Officials took it to the Kathambari range office, where it received immediate veterinary care.
IFS officer Mudit Kumar Verma shared a video of the rescue operation, which showed fishermen on a boat finding the calf and pulling it out of the water. The calf was then provided with veterinary care before being reunited with its mother.
Later, IFS officer Parveen Kaswan shared another video capturing the heart-touching reunion. The mother elephant was seen wading through the water and almost running towards the calf before embracing it.
The heartwarming reunion brought the ordeal to a safe end, with the newborn calf back by its mother’s side after being swept far away by the river.