Golaghat, 18 October (HS): A baby elephant killed after falling into a drain in Numaligarh, marking the second such incident this month. The tragic incident occurred at Shyamraipur in the Morongi area of Golaghat district, where the calf fell into a tea garden drain and succumbed.

A team from the Murphuloni Forest Range, along with local forest officials, reached the spot and recovered the carcass for post-mortem examination. During the rescue attempt, the mother elephant stayed close to the site, refusing to leave—displaying a striking example of maternal instinct, even as a JCB was used in the recovery operation.

Environmentalists have strongly criticized the Forest Department for its failure to ensure the safety of wild elephants in a district where human-elephant conflicts continue to rise. Notably, on October 11, another injured elephant calf rescued from a similar drain in the same area had killed during treatment at the Panbari Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre near Kaziranga National Park.------

Hindusthan Samachar / Sriprakash