Newborn Elephant Calf Rescued, Reunited With Anxious Mother In Bengal's Teesta River
In an incredible rescue of a newborn elephant calf, local fishermen and forest officials rescued a 4-day-year-old elephant calf after being swept away by the Teesta river in West Bengal.
The incident took place on Friday in the Baikanthapur forest division in Malbazar block of Jalpaiguri district in Bengal’s northern region. The baby elephant was separated from its mother and swept away when an elephant herd was trying to cross the Teesta river at around 8.30 am on Friday, according to the fishermen.
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The fishermen spotted the calf and then took a small row boat and rushed to rescue the calf. By the time they reached the calf, it was drowning, and the fishermen managed to take the calf on the small row boat.
The fishermen then informed the forest officials. Baikanthapur Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Mudit Kumar said that they brought the calf back and examined it, adding that there were no injuries. The officials then reunited the calf with its mother, who appeared to be anxious searching her baby.
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“We had to do it fast because we feared prolonged human touch may lead the calf to be rejected by the mother. Finally, we reunited the mother and calf. She nursed the calf and accepted the calf back into the herd. We are happy that the calf was rescued and reunited with the mother,” The Indian Express quoted the forest officer.
Climate and wildlife activist and Tamil Nadu additional chief secretary Supriya Sahu IAS lauded the courage, compassion and quick thinking of local fishermen in rescuing the calf. She also praised the Baikunthapur Forest Division for reuniting the “little one with its anxious mother.”
What an incredible rescue of a newborn elephant calf swept away by the Teesta River! The courage, compassion and quick thinking of local fishermen, combined with the swift response of the Baikunthapur Forest Division, deserve immense appreciation. Together, they successfully… pic.twitter.com/uEyqQKTRXp
— Supriya Sahu IAS (@supriyasahuias) September 22, 2026
