A wild elephant was today rescued from a well, hours after tripping inside, at Jhalda in West Bengal's Purulia district.
Forest officials said the full-grown pachyderm might have approached the big well to sprinkle water and shield itself from the sizzling heat wave conditions but as the side wall gave way, it fell inside.
Alarmed by the commotion, villagers rushed to the spot but could not haul up the female pachyderm.
In a combined rescue operation, forest personnel, the police, disaster management team and villagers then dug the earth parallel to the well and the animal could be lifted at least three hours later.
The elephant, which did not apparently suffer any injury, walked to its nearby forest habitat after rescue, the officials said.
