Elephant rescued from Kalahandi well

Balangir: A tusker was rescued from an abandoned well on Thursday at Jamapada village under Nurla forest range in Kalahandi (North) forest division.
The animal had fallen into the well while wandering in search of food. It has also got separated from the herd.
“We got a call about the incident early in the morning and immediately launched a rescue operation.The operation took one-and-half hours. Later our tracking team confirmed that the elephant has returned to the forest and rejoined the herd,” Prabhudatta Prasant Mishra, additional forest conservator.
According to the forest department, the elephant fell into a 5-ft deep narrow well at night and struggled hard to come out. As there was very little space for the animal to move, it got tired.
“In the morning when some villagers heard its trumpet and came near the well they found it trapped inside. After being informed, forest officials rushed to the spot with an excavator and other equipment,” said Ravi Parabhoy, a villager.
Frequent incidents of elephants falling into non-barricaded wells and huge pits raise concern of their safety. On Spet 30, an elephant calf was rescued from a muddy pit at Parlasingha village. “We are planning to construct barricades around open pits and wells in the villages where elephant movements are reported. We had discussion it with the villagers that the govt will support the construction of the barricade,” said Mishra.