A female elephant was successfully rescued by forest officials after it accidentally fell into an abandoned well while trying to eat jackfruit.


The incident occurred in Raniberna village, located under the Banki Section of the Rourkela Forest Division, Sundargarh district, Odisha, on July 4.


Visuals from the spot show the elephant trapped inside a ditch, with a JCB excavator having carved a sloped path to aid its escape. The elephant is seen struggling to climb out, and just as it falters, the JCB gives it a gentle nudge to help it up. The elephant finally manages to climb out successfully, pauses for a moment at the edge, and turns back—almost as if expressing gratitude to its rescuers—before calmly walking back into the forest.

Speaking to Newslions Media, Jashabanta Sethi, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Rourkela, Odisha, shared that a herd of seven elephants had wandered into a village on Friday in search of food. While moving near a jackfruit tree, a female elephant from the group accidentally slipped and fell into an abandoned well, getting separated from the rest of the herd.

Sethi explained that the Forest Department maintains a dedicated team to monitor elephant movements. While tracking the herd, officials noticed that one elephant was missing. Around the same time, villagers reported that an elephant had fallen into a well and promptly alerted the Forest Department.

Acting swiftly, a rescue team—led by the DFO, along with three Assistant Conservators of Forests (ACF) officers, forest guards, and elephant tracking personnel—was dispatched to the location. The team successfully executed the rescue operation by using a JCB machine to carefully excavate around the well. After several hours of continuous effort, they managed to carve out a pathway, allowing the elephant to climb out safely and return unharmed.

Officials confirmed that the elephant did not sustain any major injuries and soon returned to the nearby forest on its own.


Former Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Susanta Nanda later shared a video of the rescue, praising the dedication of the Rourkela forest team, saying, “A female elephant fell into a ditch last night. Team Rourkela made a path with JCB and with a little shoving, the elephant was rescued. While returning to the wild, it stood for a while, as if murmuring blessings to the green soldiers. Salutations to team Rourkela,” he wrote.


The rescue has been widely appreciated, highlighting the ongoing efforts of forest personnel to ensure the safety and well-being of wildlife in the region.