Baby Elephant That Fell Into Open Drain Dies Of Weakness After Dramatic Rescue Operation

KEY POINTS

The mother elephant tried to lift the newborn out of the water but was unsuccessful
The calf was rescued, cleaned and taken to the forest to reunite it with its mother elephant
The newborn is believed to have been the first birth in the herd but tragically died

A baby elephant that was dramatically rescued after it fell down an uncovered drain has died even as forest officials tried to reunite the calf with its mother.

The incident occurred late night Monday in the southwestern Indian state of Karnataka when a wild elephant gave birth to the calf near a drain. After its birth, the calf fell into the drain and was in the water for a prolonged period. The mother elephant tried to lift the calf out of the water but was unsuccessful, the Deccan Herald reported.

Residents from a nearby village rushed to the spot after hearing the elephant’s distress calls. Initially, the villagers burned firecrackers to try and scare the elephants away. But, the mother elephant did not move. At that point, locals discovered the seriousness of the calf’s condition, still submerged in water, and alerted forest authorities.

Officials from the forest department immediately responded to the scene and started the rescue operation. As the mother elephant hindered the initial rescue efforts, officials deployed two tamed elephants to guide her back into the forest.

Eventually, officials and the villagers were able to rescue the elephant from the drain. The newborn was visibly weak after being in the water for several hours. They cleaned the calf and moved it toward the forest. Before long, the mother elephant tracked the calf’s scent and showed up.

"The mother elephant came near the calf alongside a herd of three young elephants. It tried to lift the calf once. The calf was tired and when it did not move, the mother elephant threw away the calf back into the water stream," the forest officer, Annaya Kumar, said to The New India Express.

The calf’s death was confirmed by the Assistant Conservator of the Forest.

According to Kumar, the mother elephant belonged to a young herd, which did not have a matriarch. He believes that the newborn was the first birth in the heard.

Villagers said the veterinarian was notified about the baby’s condition and are displeased that they did not arrive on time, the Deccan Herald reported.

The calf’s carcass was sent for an autopsy, and later cremated in the forest itself.