Alipurduar, West Bengal | August 23, 2026

A young one-horned rhinoceros calf strayed into a tea garden near Jaldapara National Park on Sunday morning, leaving tea workers and local residents surprised and concerned.

The calf was spotted by tea workers as they arrived at the garden for their daily work. Word of the animal’s presence quickly spread through the area, following which the Forest Department was alerted.

Frightened calf rescued

Forest personnel found the calf in a distressed and frightened condition. To safely bring it back towards the forest, officials deployed three trained kunki elephants—elephants specially trained to assist forest personnel during wildlife operations.

However, the rescue could not begin immediately because of the scorching heat. Forest officials decided to wait rather than risk further distress to the young rhinoceros.

After some time, clouds gathered and rain fell in the distance, bringing down the temperature. Once conditions became cooler, forest personnel accompanied by the three kunki elephants approached the calf and successfully rescued it.

The calf has now been taken into the care of the Forest Department, which will monitor its health and condition.

Mother still being traced

The biggest challenge now is to locate the calf’s mother.

Officials have not yet established exactly where the calf came from or where the mother is currently located. Forest personnel are therefore searching the surrounding landscape in the hope of finding the adult rhino.

If the mother can be located, the Forest Department plans to reunite the calf with her and return it safely to the wild.

Earlier tragedy involving a rhino mother

The latest rescue comes only weeks after another young rhino was separated from its mother in the Falakata area of Alipurduar.

In that incident, the mother rhino entered Kunjannagar village after reportedly being chased by a male rhino. The calf became separated during the incident.

The mother subsequently wandered through the village searching for her calf and even entered two houses, causing damage. After moving around for several hours, she collapsed and died.

Forest officials recovered the carcass and conducted the required examination. Preliminary information indicated a possible heart attack, although the exact cause was to be established through post-mortem examination.

The calf from that incident was later rescued after a prolonged search and was eventually released at a safe location in Jaldapara.

A race against time

For the newly rescued calf, finding its mother quickly is now crucial. The Forest Department will continue monitoring the animal while teams search nearby forest and tea-garden areas for signs of the adult rhino.

The incident also highlights the challenges faced in the Jaldapara landscape, where one-horned rhinos move between protected forests and surrounding human-use areas.

For now, the successful rescue has given the young rhino a safe refuge—but the ultimate goal remains reuniting it with its mother and returning the pair to the wild.

Source credit: This report is based on The Statesman, “Rhino calf rescued from tea garden near Jaldapara,” published on August 23, 2026 by Statesman News Service.