This Baby Elephant Was Saved From A 30-Foot Hole In India Thanks To A Huge Team Of Rescue Workers

It took a lot of workers, heavy machinery, and almost eight hours to free the poor animal.

Damjan

• Published in Animal Stories
• November 25, 2021

Humans change the world around them, and sometimes poor animals suffer. One successful and unusual rescue mission took place near Nimatand village, in the state of Jharkhand, Eastern India.

A short while ago, a baby elephant fell into a 30-foot well and had to be rescued. He was with his herd when they've approached the village.

The villagers chased the herd away, but it left without one member in all the commotion. The poor little elephant fell into the well, but since it was dark, it wasn't discovered until early next morning.

The rescue crews quickly got to work. It took a lot of workers, three backhoes, and almost eight hours to free the baby elephant. The heavy machinery had to dig a path all the way to the bottom of the well and go through a brick wall.

The photos of the rescues were shared by Parveen Kaswan from the Indian Forest Service. This government service had organized and executed a successful rescue operation.

However, the question remains why the deep well wasn't secured and why it had no fence. It's dangerous for animals and humans.

"Unluckily, in the dark of the night, an elephant calf fell into the well," Shashikant Verma – a local official, told the reporters after the rescue was over.

Baby elephant fell into a 30-foot well

The photos of the rescues were shared by Parveen Kaswan from the Indian Forest Service

“Even though the water level was pretty high and the calf fell from a considerable height, it miraculously escaped unharmed. The water level wasn't high enough, but the calf got some buoyancy after falling and didn't get any injuries," Verma added.

It took a lot of workers, heavy machinery, and almost eight hours to free the poor elephant.

People on Twitter expressed their joy that everything worked out okay and that the elephant was unharmed. They also gave shout-outs to the government services for their quick reaction.

One person even commented that the inside of the well looks a lot like an elephant’s trunk. Which is kinda true...

The "little" baby elephant was saved

Heart warming indeed

The official data say that the total elephant population in India is 27312. This country is home to 60% of the Asian elephant population.

WWF considered it an endangered species. The wild population has declined by at least 50% from the 1930s to 1940s.

The Asian elephant is threatened by habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation.

Indian elephants may spend up to 19 hours a day feeding and can cover an area of up to 125 square miles. This helps to disperse germinating seeds.

They feed mainly on grasses, but large amounts of tree bark, roots, leaves, and small stems are also eaten. Cultivated crops such as bananas, rice, and sugarcane are favored foods as well.

Since they need to drink at least once a day, these elephants are always close to a source of fresh water.

The saved animal was unharmed - only shaken by the whole event

This young elephant was very fortunate to be rescued unharmed, thanks to a quick reaction from the authorities. We hope he will find his herd.

They are probably somewhere around, waiting for their little member. And we hope that wells like these will get strong fences to prevent animals and humans from falling in.

Damjan