https://doi.org/10.65770/DYRP3961
ABSTRACT
Human–elephant conflict is a critical conservation concern in Eastern and Central India, where expanding agriculture, fragmented forest corridors, and unprotected rural infrastructure increase risks for wildlife. On 15 October 2025, a 7-day-old elephant calf fell into a 30-meter deep agricultural well in Khaira Village, Hazaribag District, while moving with a small herd comprising two males and one female. The adult elephants remained near the well for several hours, exhibiting distress calls and repeated but unsuccessful attempts to retrieve the calf. Their behavior alerted local residents, who promptly informed the Forest Department and the Quick Response Team (QRT). A complex rescue operation was initiated using drone surveillance to assess the well interior, a water-displacement technique to elevate the calf gradually, and structural modification of the well using a JCB machine to create an accessible exit. After 7–8 hours of continuous intervention, the female elephant successfully lifted the calf out of the well, and the group safely retreated into the forest. This incident demonstrates how community vigilance, technological support, and coordinated multi-agency action can significantly improve outcomes in human–elephant conflict zones. The event also highlights broader ecological issues in Hazaribag, including attractive agricultural crops, rich forest biodiversity, and high wildlife movement, which collectively shape human–wildlife interactions.
References
- [1] Bhengra, A., & BHENGRA, A. (2025). Understanding the Human Toll of Human-Elephant Conflicts: Insights from a Four-Year Autopsy Analysis. Cureus, 17(1). https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.76763
- [2] Doyle, C., Rally, H., O’Brien, L., Tennison, M., Marino, L., & Jacobs, B. (2024). Continuing challenges of elephant captivity: the captive environment, health issues, and welfare implications. PeerJ, 12, e18161. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.18161
- [3] Gadd, M. E. (2011). Barriers, the beef industry and unnatural selection: a review of the impact of veterinary fencing on mammals in southern Africa. Fencing for conservation: restriction of evolutionary potential or a riposte to threatening processes?, 153-186. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-0902-1_9
- [4] Graham, M. D., Douglas‐Hamilton, I., Adams, W. M., & Lee, P. C. (2009). The movement of African elephants in a human‐dominated land‐use mosaic. Animal conservation, 12(5), 445-455. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-1795.2009.00272.x
- [5] Kanga, S., Pandey, A. C., Shaheen, A., & Singh, S. K. (2018). Geospatial Modelling to Assess Human Elephant Conflict and Corridor Mapping in Palamau Tiger Reserve, Jharkhand (India). i-Manager’s Journal on Future Engineering and Technology, 13(3), 24. https://doi.org/10.26634/jfet.13.3.14227
- [6] Koirala, R. K., Ji, W., Aryal, A., Rothman, J., & Raubenheimer, D. (2016). Dispersal and ranging patterns of the Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus) in relation to their interactions with humans in Nepal. Ethology Ecology & Evolution, 28(2), 221-231. https://doi.org/10.1080/03949370.2015.1066872
- [7] Kumari, I. N. D. U., Pradhan, L. O. L. I. T. A., & Chatterjee, S. U. D. I. P. T. O. (2024). Challenges and strategies in elephant conservation: a comprehensive review of land use impact and management approaches in Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary, India. Landsc. Ecol, 17, 80-96.
- [8] La Grange, M., Matema, C., Nyamukure, B., & Hoare, R. (2022). The Virtual Fence Dynamic: a Breakthrough for Low-Cost and Sustainable Mitigation of Human-Elephant Conflict in Subsistence Agriculture?. Frontiers in Conservation Science, 3, 863180. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcosc.2022.863180
- [9] MANN, J., & SMUTS, B. B. (1998). Natal attraction: allomaternal care and mother–infant separations in wild bottlenose dolphins. Animal Behaviour, 55(5), 1097-1113. https://doi.org/10.1006/anbe.1997.0637
- Mason, G. J., & Veasey, J. S. (2010). How should the psychological well‐being of zoo elephants be objectively investigated?. Zoo biology, 29(2), 237-255. https://doi.org/10.1002/zoo.20256
- Roy, K., Pandey, R. K., Athira, N. G., Dutta, A., Mittal, D., Nigam, P., … & Habib, B. (2025). Long-term trends in human fatalities from human–elephant conflict in Chhattisgarh, India. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 27360. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-13005-3
- Tripathy, B. R., Liu, X., Songer, M., Kumar, L., Kaliraj, S., Chatterjee, N. D., … & Mahanta, K. K. (2021). Descriptive spatial analysis of human-elephant conflict (HEC) distribution and mapping HEC hotspots in Keonjhar forest division, India. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 9, 640624. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2021.640624
- Zeppelzauer, M., & Stoeger, A. S. (2015). Establishing the fundamentals for an elephant early warning and monitoring system. BMC research notes, 8(1), 409. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13104-015-1370-y
Download all article in PDF
