Navi Mumbai: A rare four-horned antelope or chousingha was rescued in a joint operation by the forest department staffers and members of a NGO from a 30ft deep well in Shirgaon village, Mahad, Raigad, on Saturday.The volunteers scaled down the well using the rappelling method to rescue the wildlife. Later, it was released to its natural habitat.The incident was reported in the intervening night of Friday and Saturday. The antelope in search of water may have fallen into the well owned by a local resident, Sachin Mohite, suspect forest officials. On finding the antelope inside the well in the morning, the Mohites alerted the forest department and volunteers of Society of Eco-Endangered Species Conservation and Protection or Seescap.The forest staff reached the spot by noon joined by the Seescap volunteers and locals. They rescued the antelope which was sitting helpless on a rocky surface just above the water level. The rescue operation was conducted in the afternoon and the health check-up of the antelope was done by a veterinarian.Range forest officer (territorial)-Mahad, Ashish Patil said, “The one-and-a-half-year-old male antelope had not sustained any type of injury during the fall. The shy animal was released into its natural habitat.”
