DHARMAPURI: After a struggle of nearly 15 hours, forest staff on Thursday rescued a wild elephant which had fallen into 60 feet deep open well near Marandahalli in Dharmapuri district.
District Forest Officer Rajkumar tSaid that the elephant had been tranquilised and lifted out of the open well with a crane on Thursday evening. It had been examined by a team of veterinarians for injuries. Once conscious, the animal would be released to the Dharmapuri-Krishnagiri border forest later in the night, he said.
The female elephant aged between 20-25 years, was part of a group of three jumbos that had roamed into the forest area close to Palacode, part of a routine migratory route along the elephant corridor. However, the female elephant ventured close to a human habitation near Panchamapalli and fell into the open well, which was not protected by a wall, in the early hours of Thursday.
On learning the news, Palacode forest ranger Selvam and Rajkumar rushed to the spot and began rescue operations along with fire and rescue personnel. “The open well is approximately 60 feet deep and the elephant has likely received minor injuries. Based on its movements, veterinary doctor Prakash confirmed that the elephant is in good condition. We had fed the elephant fruits and ensured that it received ample water. Food was provided by lowering a bucket using a crane,” Rajkumar explained.
As the well was in the middle of a coconut grove, officials said that they could not dig a trench to rescue the elephant — it would have been time-consuming, and falling trees would have hindered the efforts. Further, they said the well was very narrow giving them little wriggle room, although the water had been pumped out. Officials finally decided to tranquilise the jumbo, standing knee-deep in sludge, and lift her out with a crane. The manoeuvre proved successful in the end.
However, Rajkumar warned that such open wells posed a danger not only to wild animals but to people as well. “There are thousands of open wells in Dharmapuri, which are unsecured with no border walls or any safety barricades. On a whole, efforts should be taken to at least construct walls around the wells,” he said. Regarding open wells located near forest areas, he said the department would undertake a massive sensitisation drive across the district, urging farmers to protect wildlife by constructing walls or setting up fences around the wells.
