Dhenkanal: Forest officials rescued a tusker that had fallen into an abandoned well near Mundakhman forest under Dhenkanal range in the wee hours of Friday.
According to reports, a herd of 40 elephants unleashed mayhem in the area Thursday. After eating paddy crop, the herd returned to the forest. But a tusker, a member of the herd, accidently fell into the well. A group of women on their way to the forest saw the pachyderm stuck inside the well.
Informed by villagers, forest officials, members of the Biju Yuva Bahini, divisional forest officer (DFO) Sudarshan Patra, assistant conservator of forests Jitendranath Das and ranger Darshania Bhoi rushed to the spot and engaged an earthmover in the rescue operation.
The machine dug out a part of the well, facilitating rescue of the elephant.
PNN