Fishermen Save Baby Elephant Swept Away by Strong Current
When a newborn elephant calf got swept three miles downstream in a raging river, five fishermen chased it in small boats and pulled off an incredible rescue. Two hours later, forest officials reunited the baby with its anxious mother.
A three-day-old elephant calf tumbled into India's Teesta River and was swept away from its herd by a powerful current. The tiny animal fought to stay afloat as the water carried it downstream in West Bengal.
Tapan Das, a sluice gate operator at the Gajoldoba barrage, spotted the struggling calf heading straight toward a concrete structure. He immediately raised the gate to prevent the baby from crashing into it, then alerted local fishermen on the water.
Five men jumped into action. Bablu Das, Mithun Das, Kader Das, Biswanath Das, and Gopal Das grabbed their small dinghies and chased the calf down the river for two miles.
The rescue wasn't easy. Three fishermen swam alongside their boats while the others worked to haul the exhausted calf aboard. By the time they caught up, the current had carried the baby three miles from its herd.
"The current was very strong, and the calf was helpless," onlooker Rajkumar Roy told reporters. The fishermen carefully brought the animal to shore and handed it over to the Indian Forest Service.
Wildlife officials moved quickly to minimize human contact with the calf. They launched a search for the herd and found them several miles upstream from where the baby had been rescued.
Sunny's Take
The reunion happened just two hours after the rescue. Video footage shows the moment the calf was released back to its family. The baby trumpeted loudly as its mother rushed forward and wrapped her trunk around it protectively.
The mother elephant immediately began nursing her calf. Within moments, the pair rejoined their herd and disappeared into the forest together.
Indian Forest Service officer Mudit Kumar Verma shared the heartwarming footage online. "Our Forest team, with the help of local fishermen, rescued the drowning calf and reunited it with its mother," he wrote. "A beautiful story of rescue and reunion."
The quick thinking of one gate operator and the bravery of five fishermen gave this story the happy ending every parent dreams of.
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Based on reporting by Upworthy
This story was written by BrightWire based on verified news reports.
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