An elephant calf stranded in a well in Bundu town of Jharkhand was rescued yesterday by forest officials.
According to the locals, the herd of elephants had come from the forest nearby in search for food. While the herd left, the young calf could not find its way around and fell into the open well. Its cries soon drew a large crowd.
Forest officials were immediately informed of the stranded calf. It was believed to be around eight and nine months old.
Video of the incident shows the calf pacing the well visibly frightened. The officials brought an earth digger and broke one end of the well to dig a path for the calf.
As the rubble was removed, the elephant calf slowly began climbing the dirt path made for it. But at one point it seems to have stuck under the earth digger. After few confused attempts to come out, the calf finally found its way and ran towards the forest.
The crowd cheered the rescue and is seen running behind the calf, probably to scare it away to safety.
With the cities crawling day by day closer to forested areas, it has become common for wild animals to come to urban areas in search for food or simply to pass through. While this calf had a lucky escape, there are still many who are killed when they venture outside their forest homes.
Watch the video to see the rescue. The last bit, where the crowd cheers and runs behind the baby jumbo seems symbolic of the swelling human population that seems to dwarf even an elephant. You can also see the video here.
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