Rourkela Forest Department officials rescued a wild elephant that accidentally fell into an open well near farmland in Gadaluru village under Hathibari section on Wednesday.
The incident occurred early in the morning when the elephant slipped while moving along the edge of a field and fell into the uncovered well. Villagers heard the distressed cries and immediately alerted forest authorities.
A team of officials rushed to the spot and launched a coordinated rescue operation. Two JCB machines were deployed to assist in creating a safe exit path. After several hours of careful effort, the elephant was successfully pulled out without major injuries.
Forest officers ensured adequate safety measures to prevent panic among villagers and stress on the animal. After the rescue, the elephant was monitored briefly before returning to the nearby forest area.
In a separate incident, an elephant calf drowned in the Rengali reservoir near Kulasara village under the Thianal Section of the Barkot forest range in Deogarh.
Forest officials confirmed that the calf was less than one year old. The carcass was spotted floating about 1.5 km from the reservoir today.
Upon receiving information, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Miss Rashmi G., along with Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) Smt. Swadhinata Sahani (Administration) and other forest staff reached the site and began efforts to recover the body.
Officials stated that the exact cause of death will be determined after a post-mortem examination. However, preliminary investigation suggests that the calf drowned in the water.
