DHENKANAL: Forest authorities successfully rescued a 35-year-old elephant and her three-year-old calf from the Sapua canal in the Sapua irrigation project area under the Rasol forest section on Saturday. The operation, which lasted nearly two and a half hours, involved both forest and irrigation officials.
The pair, part of a 10-member herd, had wandered into the canal after dusk. The calf fell into the canal, which had 4 to 5 feet of water, and the mother elephant followed in an attempt to help. The rest of the herd retreated into the wild, leaving the mother and calf trapped.
Divisional forest officer Sumit Kar said that the trapped elephants were first detected early in the morning. Given the flow of water and the canal’s height, officials considered various rescue strategies, including tranquilisation, but opted for a different approach. An irrigation team constructed a ramp using a JCB and soil to facilitate the elephants’ exit. Once the crowd was cleared to reduce stress on the animals, the calf climbed the ramp first, followed by the mother. Both elephants then made their way back to the safety of the nearby jungle.