13-day-old elephant calf rescued from Teesta, reunited with mother

A 13-day-old elephant calf swept away by strong currents in the Teesta River was rescued by local fishermen and reunited with its mother after nearly two hours of efforts on Monday.

The incident took place near Gajoldoba in West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri district as the mother elephant and her calf were crossing the river from the Baikunthapur forest area towards the forest near Saraswatipur tea garden.

The calf was swept downstream by the strong current after the river’s lock gates were opened. It was spotted struggling in the deep water near the river’s 12th crossing, where several fishermen were fishing.

According to The Darjeeling Chronicles, members of the North Bengal Fishermen’s Forum — Bablu Das, Mithu Das, Gopal Das, Bapi Das and Bishwanath Das — immediately took a boat into the river and pulled the calf from the water. They brought it safely to shore before handing it over to forest officials.

“We saw the 13-day-old calf struggling in the water. After considerable effort, we managed to lift it onto the boat and bring it to safety,” the fishermen said.

The calf began calling for its mother after being rescued. Forest personnel from the Baikunthapur Forest Division then moved it to a dry area across the Teesta Barrage at Gajoldoba, where the mother elephant was believed to be waiting.

After nearly two hours of searching and coordination, forest officials located the mother and reunited her with the calf.

The calf immediately moved towards its mother, who pulled it close with her trunk. Both elephants were later reported to be safe and returned towards the forest.

Forest officials praised the fishermen for risking their lives to rescue the calf from the strong current.