Keonjhar: Forest officials rescued a female elephant from an abandoned well in Patakhali village under Bimala forest section and Telkoi forest range in this district, late Monday night. The 17-year-old mammal, which was part of a 10-member herd, fell into an abandoned well when the villagers tried to drive away the herd. The incident occurred when the villagers were tipped off about the arrival of the elephant herd at midnight. They woke up and drove away the elephant herd. And, in the process, the female jumbo fell into an abandoned well belonging to late Trilochan Nayak. The other elephants of the herd tried to rescue the animal but in vain.
Later, the villagers informed the forest personnel at around 3:30 am after which a few forest officials rushed to the spot and poured water into the well. They also dug up the soil around the well with the help of heavy earth-moving equipment. Later, the elephant was rescued safely from the well. It was seen running towards the forest following its rescue. Villagers were also present during the rescue operation and assisted the forest personnel without going back to sleep. Reports said that a total of 24 elephants are moving in the forests under Telkoi forest range. When contacted, divisional forest officer (DFO) Dhanraj HD informed the media about the safe rescue of the animal which is now moving into the forest with other members of the herd.
