Bablu Das was fishing on the Teesta River when the sluice‑gate operator at the upstream Gajoldoba Barrage, Tapan Das, called to warn that an elephant calf was being swept downstream. The calf, separated from its herd by strong currents, surfaced about five kilometres away, where Das and his friends – Ajay, Mithu, Biswanath and Gopal – located it in a small dinghy and hauled the trembling animal aboard, keeping it alive as they steered toward the riverbank.
Forest officials from the Baikunthapur Division, led by Range Officer Samiran Raj and accompanied by a veterinarian, arrived at the upstream side of the barrage to stage the calf’s reunion with its mother. After releasing the calf on a dry stretch of riverbed, the team waited for the herd to return, but a crowd of onlookers and the resulting noise initially kept the elephants hidden. Within minutes the mother responded to the calf’s calls, approached, and wrapped the youngster in her trunk, completing the two‑hour operation that DFO Mudit Kumar described as a “beautiful story of rescue and reunion.”
The five fishermen quickly became local heroes; videos of the rescue spread widely on social media and NGOs in the region honored them for their bravery and quick thinking. Das, who also serves as secretary of the Uttarbanga Matsyajibi Forum, said the group has previously assisted the forest department in rescuing elephant calves and deer, but they lack basic safety gear such as life jackets and appeal to the government for better support.
The incident underscores the close relationship between river‑dependent communities and wildlife authorities in the Baikunthapur forest area. Coordinated alerts from the barrage’s gate operator and the fishermen’s intimate knowledge of the river enabled a rapid response that likely saved the calf’s life, highlighting the importance of community involvement in wildlife conservation efforts.