Baby Elephant Rescued from Septic Tank in Riau

Riau: Indonesia’s Riau conservation agency rescued a week-old elephant calf that fell into a 2–2.5 meter-deep septic tank at a company housing complex after a wild herd damaged several buildings, officials said.

The Riau Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BBKSDA Riau) reported that the incident occurred at a staff housing compound operated by pulpwood company PT Arara Abadi in Tapung district, Siak regency.

BBKSDA Riau head Supartono said the agency received a report from the company about wild elephants damaging employee housing and immediately deployed its Wildlife Rescue Unit, including veterinarians and mahouts from the Minas Elephant Training Center.

“About 10 elephants rampaged and trumpeted while damaging six employee dormitory rooms,” Supartono said in Pekanbaru on Sunday.

After the herd retreated to a nearby protected forest area, rescuers heard a calf crying and discovered it trapped inside a septic tank approximately two to 2.5 meters deep.

The rescue team manually extracted the calf, completing the evacuation in around 45 minutes. The animal was later confirmed to be in good health.

The female calf, estimated to be about seven days old, was immediately returned to its herd and successfully reunited with the group.

Supartono said the calf was likely born in the adjacent greenbelt forest behind the housing complex. He suggested that the herd’s aggressive behavior may have been triggered by distress calls from the trapped calf.

The housing complex borders a protected forest frequently used as a migration corridor by elephants from the Petapahan/Minas herd.

On Saturday night, February 21, employees reported seeing three to four elephants in the company’s greenbelt area, about 10 meters from the housing complex—an occurrence officials described as relatively common.

However, between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. local time on Sunday, February 22, shortly after the pre-dawn Ramadan meal, around 10 elephants returned and damaged parts of the housing structures.

Employees fled the area to ensure their safety. The herd eventually left the location at around 9:30 a.m., authorities said.