Now Reading: Elephant family rescued from wild river in Bahraich
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Elephant family rescued from wild river in Bahraich
Three adult elephants battled strong currents to keep two calves afloat after their five-member herd was swept towards the Girijapuri Barrage on the Kaudiyala River in Bahraich on Tuesday morning. The Katarniaghat…
Three adult elephants battled strong currents to keep two calves afloat after their five-member herd was swept towards the Girijapuri Barrage on the Kaudiyala River in Bahraich on Tuesday morning. The Katarniaghat Range headquarters received a wireless alert around 10:20 am that the herd was being carried towards the barrage.
Divisional forest officer Apoorv Dixit said the calves were struggling to stay afloat. The irrigation department closed the barrage gates to reduce the current's force. Once the water stabilised, the adults guided the calves to safer waters. Forest personnel used 'hanka' techniques to steer the herd into the nearby dense forest.
All five elephants returned safely and are being monitored by forest staff. Dixit praised the coordinated response between the forest and irrigation departments for averting a major mishap.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The Kaudiyala River, which forms part of the upper Ghaghra basin, is prone to sudden swells during the monsoon. Elephant herds in the Katarniaghat-Kishanpur corridor often cross such rivers between the forest and agricultural land. This incident shows how human-built infrastructure like barrages creates sudden hazards for wildlife, requiring rapid inter-departmental coordination. The 'hanka' method used here is a standard non-lethal drive technique employed by Uttar Pradesh forest teams to move animals away from populated or dangerous areas. The herd's next crossing, as monsoon flows remain high, will test whether the departments can maintain such vigilance.
Source: hindustantimes.com
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
