Dibru Saikhowa (Assam): A sub-adult Asian elephant trapped in a clay sanitary pit on the fringes of the Dibru Saikhowa National Park in eastern Assam was rescued by a team of Forest Department staff, International Fund for Animal Welfare – Wildlife Trust of India (IFAW-WTI) veterinarians and members of local NGOs last morning.

“The elephant must have fallen into the tank when it strayed into Kordoiguri village on the fringe of the national park. Trapped, the elephant began to trumpet,” said Uttam Basumatary, Range Officer, Dibru Saikhowa. “We alerted the IFAW-WTI rescue unit and a Forest Battalion was deployed to control the mob.”

“We saw the elephant was stuck in a clay pit in the backyard of a village locale.  She looked weak. We gave her vitamin, steroid and pain killer. Members of Evergreen Earth and Prakriti and local villagers helped us in the whole operation”, said Dr Anil Deka, IFAW-WTI veterinarian, who attended the case along with Dr Abhijit Bhawal.

The team leveled the soil and made a safe passage for the elephant to come out of the tank. Ropes were used to restrain the elephant and help pull her. With help, the elephant was able to come out of the tank and the all night operation ended in the early hours of Sunday morning.

There was some apprehension amongst the locals about how the elephant would react once out. The animal, however, was peaceful and walked back to Dibru Saikhowa National Park.