Khunti: A wild elephant that wandered into a residential area of Khunti on Monday afternoon fell into an open well, sparking panic among local residents. The animal was, however, rescued safely after nearly two hours of coordinated efforts by forest officials and the local administration.
Officials said the elephant fell into an open well in the Dandtoli (Anigara) locality, on land belonging to a local resident, around noon. Soon after receiving information, teams from the Forest Department and district administration rushed to the spot and launched a rescue operation.
A JCB machine was used to carefully cut and level the soil on one side of the well, creating a gentle slope. This enabled the elephant to climb out of the well on its own.
After being rescued, the elephant crossed the nearby national highway at Anigara and moved towards Pokla village.
As news of the incident spread, thousands of people gathered at the site, leading to chaotic scenes. While the rescue itself proceeded smoothly, officials said crowd management became a major challenge, forcing authorities to repeatedly appeal to people to keep a safe distance.
The Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Khunti said the elephant appears to have poor vision, with impaired sight in one eye and possibly limited vision in the other, which may have caused its disoriented movement through the town. He added that the animal looked weak and hungry and suffered minor injuries in the fall, but has not shown any aggressive behaviour.
Local reports said the elephant had first entered Bhoot village via the Bhandra area on Sunday morning. After villagers chased it away, it moved towards the Patratoli forest but re-entered Khunti town on Monday morning, passing through several busy areas including DAV Road, the Daily Market, Nagar Bhavan, Amritpur and Forest Department localities before reaching Dandtoli, where it fell into the well.
Videos of the elephant roaming through the town and the rescue operation have gone viral on social media.
Forest officials have urged the public to avoid crowding and maintain a safe distance, adding that efforts are underway to monitor the elephant closely and relocate it safely back to its natural habitat to prevent further incidents.
With inputs from IANS