Rangers try to rescue wild elephant in India’s northeast

GAUHATI, India – Indian veterinarians are treating a 10-year-old wild elephant with an injured leg to help it escape from a marshy area where it has been stuck for at least five days.

The state Forest and Environment Ministry said forest rangers are bringing domesticated elephants to help rescue the trapped male elephant in Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary, 25 miles east of Gauhati, the capital of Assam state.

Their first priority is to treat the elephant’s injury so it can come out on its own.

Such events are becoming increasingly common in the state, which has a large population of wild elephants. Many stray from their herds and enter swampy areas or nearby villages in search of food.