Elephant calf slips into well in Hazaribag, rescued after 8 hours | Ranchi News
Hazaribag: Forest officials and villagers of Khaira in Hazaribag district successfully rescued a baby elephant that fell into a deep well late on Tuesday night. The calf, part of a herd of four elephants roaming near the village, accidentally slipped into a 35-foot-deep well located on the farmland of a local resident, Saryu Mahto. As soon as the calf fell, one of the elephants— believed to be its mother — became frantic and was seen walking around the well, attempting to pull the baby out with her trunk.Despite her desperate efforts, the calf remained trapped. The elephant’s loud trumpeting soon alerted nearby villagers, who immediately informed the forest department and local police. A team from the forest department soon reached the spot. Forest officers Vidya Bhushan Prasad, Rajkumar Singh, and Shambhu Prasad arranged for an earthmover. One side of the well was razed to create a safe passage for the trapped calf. The massive rescue operation began around 8 PM and continued for nearly eight hours through the night.To prevent the calf from drowning, rescuers pumped water from nearby wells into the pit. The earthmover was then used to dig a passage beside the well, creating a slope to help the calf climb out. Around 3:30am, the baby elephant finally emerged to safety.What followed next left everyone at the site deeply moved. The mother elephant raised her trunk high, as if in gratitude, before gently nudging her calf and leading it back toward the forest. Throughout the operation, the elephants showed remarkable composure.While one mother elephant stayed near the well throughout, the rest moved away from the site. Prasad said the elephants did not disrupt the rescue operation and appeared to understand that people were helping. Forest officials claimed that the calf reunited with its herd, which was camping in Tatijharia till late evening.
