GUWAHATI: A young elephant calf that got separated from its herd at Deepor Beel was rescued by forest officials on Thursday, June 4.
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A herd of around 20 wild elephants had entered the ecologically sensitive wetland on Wednesday night in search of food. The following morning, residents noticed a lone female calf, believed to be around 18 months old, wandering near the edge of the wetland without the rest of the herd.
Concerned locals alerted the Forest Department, which immediately dispatched a team to the area. With assistance from the locals, officials safely secured the calf and guided her back towards the forested hills along the Assam–Meghalaya border, where the herd is believed to be moving.
The remaining elephants were believed to be present within Deepor Beel at the time of the rescue operation.
Deepor Beel, a Ramsar wetland on the outskirts of Guwahati, frequently witnesses the movement of wild elephant herds descending from the neighbouring hills in search of food. Such movements often increase the risk of calves getting separated from their groups, particularly when herds navigate through human-dominated areas.