Elephant trapped in well saved after 20 hours

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A wild elephant was rescued more than 20 hours after it fell into a well in Areekode, Malappuram. It reportedly fell into the well when the locals were chasing away a herd that had entered a nearby residential area.

The tusker fell into the well located inside a plantation at Urangattiri in Areekode, at around 12.30 am on Thursday, and was unable to climb up or move around much.

It took a forest department task force of 60 members 21 hours to bring the elephant out. The rescue team removed the mud and created a pathway on the side of the well helping the elephant to climb out.

Locals stalled rescue briefly, demanding tusker’s relocation. It was a risky thing to do, and could endanger the animal’s life, the forest department officials argued. Nevertheless, the rescue operation resumed after the protesting locals were promised of finding solutions to their concerns.