Five fishermen in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district rescued a newborn elephant calf that was swept several kilometres downstream by the Teesta river on September 21, in an operation that ended with a heartwarming reunion with its mother.

The calf, only three to four days old, was separated from its herd while the elephants were crossing the river near the Malbazar subdivision. The sluice gate operator at the Gajoldoba Teesta dam upstream spotted the calf floating in the swirling water and alerted fisherman Bablu Das by phone: 'The baby elephant is going downstream. Save it.'

Das and his friends Ajay, Mithu, Biswanath and Gopal rowed out, found the calf with just its trunk above water, and hauled it into their boat before steering to the bank. Forest officials from the Baikunthapur Forest Division took the calf to the Kathambari range office, where a veterinarian checked it over.

The team then carried the calf upstream to where it had been separated, and the mother — who had been searching frantically — accepted it immediately. IFS officers who shared the rescue video said the forest department continues to monitor the pair, which has rejoined its herd.