Siliguri: A 15-day-old elephant calf was rescued from a septic tank and reunited with its mother after a six-hour operation at the Army’s 16 FAD unit premises in Bengdubi, near Bagdogra on Sunday morning. Forest officials bathed the calf and smeared elephant dung over its body to mask the odour and reduce the risk of rejection by its mother.Army personnel alerted the forest department around 4 am after the calf fell into the tank. The mother had tried to pull it out but failed.“After six hours of effort, we managed to reunite the calf with its mother. We used drones to locate the herd and then attempted to reunite them. The operation was challenging because the calf had picked up a strong smell after falling into the septic tank,” said Kurseong DFO Devesh Pandey.The calf received medical attention and hydration before the reunion. The mother and calf are now deep inside the Bengdubi jungle.
