Hundreds Of Villagers Jump Into Action To Save An Elephant Swept Away By Flood

An elephant lost her family and nearly lost her life, before being saved in a daring rescue. The elephant had an entire village of people dedicated to seeing her rescue through.

villagers save elephant

The elephant became the victim of an extremely unlucky situation when she was swept away from her herd in the midst of historic monsoon flooding in Assam, an Indian state located in the northeast region of the country.

The flooding was so strong, it was impossible for the elephant to swim against the currents. Conservationists believe the elephant was swept through the river for more than 600 miles. From Assam to the neighboring country of Bangladesh.

villagers save elephant

Wildlife officials from both India and Bangladesh spent weeks trying to secure the elephant. She washed ashore in Bangladesh, and was stranded in a secluded, flood area.

Thankfully, the stressed elephant had access to rice crops, sugar cane and some banana plants to survive on while waiting to be saved.

Officials from India’s forestry department were finally able to safely make the journey to Bangladesh in order rescue the elephant in need. But the effort was easier said than done.

villagers save elephant

Once tranquilized, the agitated elephant sluggishly walked around for about an hour before she became fully unconscious and collapsed. She fell into a deep pond and it was a race against time to pull the elephant out of the water before she drowned.

“Hundreds of villagers came to its rescue when they saw the elephant had lost consciousness,” Sayed Hossain, a veterinarian at the scene of the rescue. “Dozens jumped into the pond and helped us tie the animal with ropes and chains. And finally, with the help of hundreds of villagers, we were able to pull it to dry ground.”

villagers save elephant

Once the elephant gains enough strength to walk, rescuers hope to bring in handlers and another elephant as a guide to take her to a safari park where she’ll be able to recover further. It’s currently unclear as to whether there are plans to reunite the elephant with her herd.

villagers save elephant

