Stories
Heroic Fishermen Rescue Baby Elephant from Teesta River's Strong Currents
- •Five fishermen in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri bravely rescued a newborn elephant calf swept away by the strong currents of the Teesta river.
- •The fishermen spotted the calf struggling 4 km downstream from its herd and pulled it onto their boat despite the swollen river.
- •After reaching the bank, the calf received immediate veterinary care from forest officials at the Kathambari range office.
- •Forest officials, locals, and fishermen coordinated efforts for nearly two hours to locate the mother elephant.
- •The calf was successfully reunited with its mother, who was later seen nursing it, bringing relief to all involved.
Key Questions Answered
Five local fishermen—Bablu Das, Mithun Das, Kader Das, Biswanath, and Gopal—spotted the 3-to-4-day-old elephant calf struggling against strong currents in a small rowboat. Three of the fishermen jumped into the swollen river to pull the calf onto the boat, swimming alongside and pushing it against the current to reach safety before handing it over to forest officials.
After being brought to the riverbank, the baby elephant was handed over to the forest department and taken to the Kathambari range office. There, it received immediate veterinary care and medical attention from the department's specialized teams.
Following the rescue, teams from the Baikunthapur forest division located the herd's probable path and moved the calf to a dry stretch of the Teesta riverbed across the barrage. After nearly two hours of coordinated efforts by forest officials, locals, and fishermen, the mother approached the calf and was seen nursing it.
