On Thursday, a male elephant was stranded in the Teesta river canal after water levels suddenly rose.
A male elephant was stranded for over 12 hours in the Teesta river canal after water levels suddenly rose on Thursday. The animal finally managed to move to safety around 7 pm, when the sluice gates of the Gajoldoba barrage were shut to reduce the water flow in the area.
The incident took place when a herd of 20 elephants from Baikunthapur forest in Jalpaiguri district were moving towards Lataguri forest in the morning. Forest officials arrived at the spot but were not able to do much as the water levels continued to rise.
The male elephant got separated from the herd and was stranded on the Teesta river canal in Gajoldoba, while the rest of the herd successfully crossed the river.
Villagers noticed the animal and immediately informed the forest department.
Water levels had suddenly gone up suddenly after heavy rains in the upper reaches of the river in Bhutan and Sikkim.
Baikunthapur forest Ranger Sanjay Dutta said, "We have requested the barrage authorities not to release any more water as it would not be possible to help the elephant out of the river till the water level recedes."
The police had to be deployed to control the crowd, which has gathered to see the elephant as word spread in the area.