Mother elephant helps calf cross ridge in paddy field
Times of India | 2 September 2025
Midnapore: A baby elephant became stuck on a high ridge in a paddy field on Monday morning and was helped across by its mother, who pulled it with her trunk, as a herd of elephants passed through the Sankrail beat area of the Kalaikunda range.
The herd, which was crossing a paddy field, came to a halt when they saw the calf struggling. While all the other elephants managed to cross, the baby was unable to get over the ridge.
The mother elephant first tried to push the calf from behind with her trunk. Seeing this, an adult elephant from the herd returned to assist. As the mother pushed from behind, the other adult attempted to lift the calf with its trunk. With one strong shove, the mother succeeded in getting the calf onto the paved road beside the paddy field.
She then guided it safely across the road and into the forest with her trunk. Villagers captured the incident on camera.
The episode occurred at Digarbandh in the Haribhanga area of Sankrail Block, Jhargram district. According to local sources, there were 13–14 elephants in the Sankrail beat area of the Kalaikunda range under the Kharagpur forest division, including several calves.