Fishermen pull elephant calf from river in India, return it to waiting herd

A group of fishermen in eastern India is being praised after pulling a four-day-old elephant calf from a fast-moving river and helping reunite it with its waiting herd.

Here's what to know

The Hindu reported that on September 21, 2026, an emergency call reached fisherman Bablu Das, who was on the Teesta in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district, about an elephant calf swept away near the Gajoldoba Teesta Barrage.

The warning came after sluice gate operator Tapan Das saw the calf in the churning river and raised the gate to keep it from crashing into the structure.

Working against the strong current, Bablu Das and four other fishermen guided their dinghy with bamboo staves as they went after the animal. In a video taken from the boat, one voice can be heard shouting, "Ekdom baccha re! Dhor, dhor, dhor [It's a small calf. Save it]."

They were able to get the calf into the boat.

A newborn elephant calf was swept nearly 5 km downstream by Teesta's strong currents. Our Forest team, with help of local fishermen, rescued the drowning calf and reunited it with its mother. A beautiful story of rescue and reunion. 🐘 #elephant #wildlife #IFS #forest #teesta https://t.co/rvq7fpyMd2

— Mudit Kumar Verma IFS (@MuditKVerma) September 21, 2026

Bablu Das told the outlet, "The calf looked nervous. Its body was very cold. We tried to calm it and steered the boat to the riverbank."

But pulling the baby from the river was only part of the mission. The next challenge was getting it back to its herd safely.

More background

Along the riverbank, officials from several ranges in the Baikunthapur Forest Division were moving with a veterinarian to help reunite the calf with its mother.

For Samiran Raj, the Range Officer of Belacoba Range, that stage was "the most important part of the mission — the reunion with its mother."

Officials took the calf back upstream to where it had been separated from the herd. Unable to identify which adult elephant was the mother, they placed the baby on a dry section of the riverbed and waited for it to call out.

Then the mother finally emerged. She approached the calf and wrapped it in her trunk, bringing to a close what Mudit Kumar, the DFO of Baikunthapur Division, called a "beautiful story of rescue and reunion."

What's being done?

The fishermen were already used to working alongside forest officials, and that existing relationship appears to have made a major difference when every minute mattered.

Back in their village, the five fishermen were treated as local heroes, and local NGOs quickly honored them. Bablu Das, secretary of the Uttarbanga Matsyajibi Forum, said this was not the first time they had rescued an animal, according to The Hindu.

"We have been coordinating with the forest department and have rescued elephant calves and deer. We live next to the Teesta and spend our entire day there, fishing," Bablu Das said.

The rescue also highlighted a serious safety concern for the people carrying out this work.

"We operate a small dinghy and don't have life jackets. While we will go to any extent to save a life, we urge the government to help us," Bablu Das said.

Where can I learn more?

For more on elephant rescues and protection efforts, these articles cover similar moments and broader efforts to protect herds and migration routes.

• In Kenya, Sheldrick Wildlife Trust keepers guided lost bull elephants home after floodwaters scattered them.

• In Nigeria, conservationists celebrated the first-of-its-kind elephant rescue after finding a calf in a plantation.

• Along a key elephant corridor, volunteers found litter scattered across migration routes used by herds.

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