RANCHI: An elephant and its calf, which had fallen into a 25-foot deep well while crossing farmland in Ramgarh on Thursday morning, were safely rescued by forest officials. After over two hours of effort, the pair were freed with the help of a JCB machine, allowing them to walk back into the jungle.
“It took us around two hours to rescue the elephant and its calf by creating a slope down to the bottom of the well with the help of a JCB machine. Finally, the elephant and its calf were rescued and led back into the jungle,” said Ramgarh Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Nitish Kumar.
The DFO added that the elephant and calf might have separated from a herd of 42 wild elephants roaming the region for the past few weeks. The herd has since moved to Bokaro after crossing Ramgarh’s borders, he said.
“Now, efforts will be made to reunite this elephant and its calf with the herd,” the DFO stated.
Earlier in the morning, the elephant and its calf were spotted in the 25-foot deep well at Hesapoda village in Parsadih forest under Gola police station in Ramgarh. Upon receiving information about the incident, forest officials rushed to the site and began rescue operations.
According to villagers, the well, approximately 25 feet deep, was dug under the MNREGA scheme on the land of Dinaram Manjhi. Dense bushes surrounding the well likely caused the elephants not to notice it and fall straight in.
Both elephants survived, possibly due to the shallow water in the well. However, due to the depth, they were unable to escape on their own.