Mother elephant, calf rescued from abandoned well

Forest department personnel rescued an elephant calf and it's mother from a well at Salugara near Siliguri in West Bengal on early Monday. The animals had possibly strayed from the herd and fell into the well without noticing it in the darkness. While the mother pachyderm left the spot and did not return, the calf was brought to Gorumara Reserve Forest.

Forest department personnel rescued an elephant calf and it's mother from a well at Salugara near Siliguri in West Bengal on early Monday. A senior forest official said the around three-month- old calf and its mother fell into a shallow abandoned well close to an Army camp near the Bengal Safari, a wild animals park, on late Sunday night.

The two were lifted from there safely at around 3 am by the forest personnel of Sukhna, Mal and Gorumara after hours of effort, the official said. The animals had possibly strayed from the herd and fell into the well without noticing it in the darkness.

While the mother pachyderm left the spot and did not return, the calf was brought to Gorumara Reserve Forest. The herd, believed to be staying in nearby jungles, was being traced, the official said.