Abhijit Kalita, Guwahati: A wild elephant, displaced by rising Brahmaputra River waters, was first spotted at Chandrapur Beat in the Guwahati Range on July 20.
The elephant, which had traveled from upstream areas, made its way to the Chapori region via the river’s current. After spending a day in Chandrapur, it moved to Ramsing Chapori and remained there for four days. On July 24, it ventured into the Nilachal Hills and was subsequently spotted in Bongsi Bagan area on July 26, causing minor damage before retreating into the Kamakhya Colony jungle.
A joint team comprising personnel from the Guwahati Range, South Guwahati Range, Protection Squad Range, Amchang Wildlife Range, Deepor Beel Range, and local police, led by Pranjal Baruah, and under the guidance of District Administration officials, including Jiwan K. Goswami, ADC, undertook efforts to monitor and manage the elephant’s movements to ensure the safety of both the animal and local residents.
Attempts to sedate the elephant on July 27, 29, and 31 were unsuccessful due to challenging terrain and poor road access. By August 4, the combined forest and police teams managed to contain the elephant in the Kalipur area. After ten hours of dedicated effort on August 4, the elephant was successfully tranquilized by the Assam State Zoo rescue team, led by FVO Dr. Pranab Das, and rescued from Kalipur at around 3 am on August 5, 2024. The operation concluded by 7 am, with the elephant being transported to Rani RF in Kamrup East Division for release. No major injuries were reported.
The rescue operation involved two Kumki elephants and a special Anti-Depredation Team, including officers such as Puspadhar Buragohain, AFS, ACF Manuranjan Barman, AFS, Pranjal Baruah, AFS Range Officer Guwahati, Jintu Talukdar ,BO Khanamukh Beat, Mukut Malakar, BO Fatasil Beat, and others. The operation was led by Rohini Ballave Saikia, IFS, DFO Kamrup East, with guidance from Kaushik Barua, member of the IUCN Asian Elephant Specialist Group and Founder of the Assam Elephant Foundation.
