An elephant calf was reunited with its mother after seven hours of separation following a rescue operation in West Bengal’s Kurseong. Forest staff tracked the mother elephant, who eventually returned with her herd to take her calf back into the wild. The heartwarming incident was shared by Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Parveen Kaswan on social media, along with a video capturing the reunion.
According to the officer, the mother elephant and her calf had fallen into a water tank. Although forest staff managed to rescue both animals, the calf got separated from its mother during the operation. The Kurseong forest division team then began tracking the mother to reunite the pair. After seven hours of effort, the team succeeded, with the mother eventually returning with her herd.
The video shows forest staff carefully releasing the calf into the wild. As the young elephant begins walking towards the forest, an adult elephant emerges from the dense trees. The animal briefly retreats before returning with the herd. The mother then approaches her calf and takes it along, bringing an end to their hours-long separation.
“What a beautiful video. A mother and calf fell into a water tank. Both were rescued but during rescue the calf got separated from mother. Kurseong division staff brilliantly tracked the mother. It took 7 hours but they reunited them. Reaction of mother in last !! Gods work,” Kaswan wrote while sharing the video.
Watch the video here:
What a beautiful video. A mother and calf fell into a water tank. Both were rescued but during rescue the calf got separated from mother. Kurseong division staff brilliantly tracked the mother. It took 7 hours but they reunited them. Reaction of mother in last !! Gods work. https://t.co/CfsG1Ltb0q
— Parveen Kaswan, IFS (@ParveenKaswan) October 25, 2026
Social media users loved the video and praised the forest staff for their efforts to reunite the elephants.
Several users also highlighted the challenges involved in tracking a separated elephant in the wild, noting the dedication and risks faced by forest personnel during rescue operations.
One user wrote, “In a world where so much is going wrong, videos of such efforts warm the heart and brighten the day. Thank you sir and to the rescue workers.” Another said, “The reunion of the calf with the herd is the most emotive part of the Video. For foresters it could be their normal/routine work. But the emotive and symbiotic appeals crosses the border of Man & Animal divide. Jai Ho Karseong Div Foresters.”
A third user stated, “It really was moving; compared to Humans they looked more family centric and care for each other.”
A fourth added, “Magnificent. Beautiful. The entire herd came out to greet the little one after its mother created an alarm.”