The water was rapid, but the elephant managed to swim back to the shore after being endangered by the high currents of the Gaula river in Uttarakhand’s Nainital region, according to forest officials.
On Tuesday, an elephant stuck in the middle of a flooded Gaula river in Uttarakhand’s Nainital district managed to swim to safety. The elephant’s struggle to cross the river has gone viral.
According to JS Suhag, chief wildlife warden (Uttarakhand), as soon as forest officials learned about the event, they went to the scene. “Despite the fast-flowing water, the elephant managed to swim back to the shore.” “We have issued a warning to our personnel in Nainital and adjacent regions, including the Corbett landscape, to be vigilant and to commence rescue operations wherever they discover wild animals stranded or stuck,” he added.
People in numerous villages along the Kosi river in the Corbett Tiger Reserve have been relocated to safer areas due to unseasonably heavy rains that have caused flooding in the area. Hotels and resorts in the vicinity of Kosi have also been abandoned.
Due to the rains, Suhag said the area was closed to tourists on Monday. “The situation on the Corbett side is currently considerably improved. The situation is worse on the Ramgarh side of the Corbett catchment region, which is on the right side. Many people believe it is close to Corbett, but it is not.”
Since the torrential rains started pounding the area, Biju Lal, the divisional forest officer (Nainital), said they are on high alert. “Since Monday, our crews have been chopping down trees that have fallen on the roadways. We’ve already chopped down almost 15 trees to make room for vehicles.”
The Kosi river, which meanders through the Corbett, has flooded like this for years, according to AG Ansari, a Ramnagar-based wildlife campaigner. “Many residents have relocated to safer places of their own volition.”
