Daijiworld Media Network – Sullia
Sullia, Apr 14: In a meticulously planned operation, the forest department successfully rescued a wild elephant that had fallen into a 25-foot deep abandoned well at Kalcharpe, near Peraje, on Monday.
The elephant, a male estimated to be between 20 and 22 years old, reportedly fell into the well located on the edge of Rama Naik’s plantation late Sunday night, around 11:30 pm. Hearing the distressed cries of the animal, the family alerted forest department personnel.
Following orders from senior officials, the rescue team arrived at the spot and commenced the operation at 6:00 am on Monday. A Hitachi excavator was pressed into service to dig a sloped path on one side of the deep well, providing the tusker a way to climb out.
After nearly seven hours of intense effort, the elephant managed to emerge from the well via the excavated path at approximately 12:50 pm.
The situation turned tense for a brief period as the elephant, once out of the well, charged toward the national highway above the plantation. It brushed past the excavator and initially moved toward the lower part of the estate.
Forest department personnel used firecrackers to steer the animal away from human habitation. After wandering through the plantation for a short while, the tusker eventually headed back toward the Poomale forest range.
The successful operation was conducted under the supervision of CCF Karikalan and DFO Anthony Mariappa. Other key officials involved included probationary ACF Sanketh Adav, ACF Prashanth Kumar Pai, Puttur ACF Subbaiah Naik, Puttur RFO Kiran B M, and Subrahmanya RFO Vimal Babu.
Sullia sub-inspector Santhosh B P, fire brigade SI Kiran Kumar, veterinary officer Dr Nithin Prabhu, and members of the Elephant Task Force also played a vital role in the rescue and crowd management.