SAMBALPUR: An elephant calf was rescued from a pit near Basiapada village in Jujumura block by personnel of Sambalpur forest division on Sunday.
The calf, aged around six years, had come to the area along with its mother to drink water on Saturday evening. Both the mother and the calf fell into the pit. While the mother managed to come out, the calf got stuck in the pit.
The calf was rescued with the help of an excavator by the forest staff. Sambalpur Sadar Forest Range Officer Gourishankar Das said it took around one hour to rescue the calf from the pit. “Though the mother elephant was present at the spot, it did not disturb us during the rescue operation,” he said.
Sources said a herd of 24 elephants, including four calves, has been moving in Basiapada area. The female calf, which got trapped in the pit, was part of the herd.