DEOGARH : In a swift operation, forest officials on Tuesday rescued three elephants that had accidentally fallen into an open well at Tinkbir village in Reamal range of the district.
According to officials, the Forest department received information from local villagers at around 4.15 pm about three elephants trapped in an uncovered well in the area. The pachyderms were part of a herd of 18 elephants that had been moving in and around Budido beat area. During their movement, three of the jumbos accidentally fell into the open well.
Responding promptly, the Reamal range officer along with a team from Tinkbir beat rushed to the spot. A rescue operation was immediately launched using an earthmover to create a ramp along the well, allowing the elephants to climb out safely.
Deogarh divisional forest officer (DFO) Rashmi G said the rescue operation was completed within about 50 minutes. Measures were taken to minimise stress to the pachyderms. By 5.10 pm, all the three elephants were successfully rescued and safely rejoined the rest of the herd, which had remained nearby during the rescue operation.
The entire operation was carried out smoothly, with no injuries reported to either the elephants or the personnel involved, she added.
Meanwhile, an elephant calf was found dead earlier in the day inside Kansar reserve forest under Deogarh range. Forest officials said information about the death of the calf, believed to be around two years old, was received at around 12.30 pm. The carcass was located near Jagadala village.
The local DFO, assistant conservator of forests, range officer along with forest staff rushed to the spot. Preliminary investigation suggests the calf’s death was likely due to natural causes. However, the exact reason of death will be confirmed after the postmortem examination.