Assam: Flood-Displaced Elephant Rescued After 16-Day Search In Guwahati

GUWAHATI: A wild elephant named Makhna, which was displaced from its habitat due to rising water levels in the Brahmaputa River, was rescued and released back into the wild after a 16-day operation.

The elephant was first spotted in the Chandrapur area on July 20 and had been moving through various locations in Guwahati, causing some damage to properties.

A joint team of forest and police officials, led by Pranjal Baruah, worked tirelessly to monitor the elephant's movements and ensure its safety, as well as that of local residents.

Despite several attempts, the team faced challenges in sedating the elephant due to difficult terrain and poor road access. However, on the fourth attempt, the Assam State Zoo rescue team, led by Dr. Pranab Das, successfully tranquillized the elephant on August 4, after ten hours of dedicated effort. The operation concluded on August 5, when the elephant was transported and released to Rani RF in the Kamrup East Division.

The rescue effort was a collaborative effort involving various agencies, including the Guwahati Range, South Guwahati Range, Protection Squad Range, Amchang Wildlife Range, and Deepor Beel Range, along with the Jalukbari police and district administration.

The operation was guided by member of the IUCN Asian Elephant Specialist Group and founder of the Assam Elephant Foundation, Kaushik Barua. No major injuries were observed during the rescue operation, and the elephant was released back into the wild without any harm.

Meanwhile, earlier this month, forest officials from the Safnan range rescued a female elephant trapped in a ditch at Mainaopur in Gossaigaon on Saturday.

The elephant had ventured outside the boundaries of Raimona National Park to the adjacent village and fell into the ditch, the forest officials said.

The forest officials utilised a JCB to excavate the soil surrounding the ditch to safely rescue the elephant. The elephant was then transported back to Raimona National Park, unharmed.

ALSO READ: Forest Officials Rescue Elephant Trapped in Ditch at Mainaopur, Gossaigaon (sentinelassam.com)

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