MANCHANABELE, RAMANAGARA DIST:For over three months, he had battled pain and suffering bravely. But on Friday morning, Sidda the elephant lost his battle for life. The 35-year-old elephant, who had broken his right forelimb after falling into a ditch near Dodderi and was stranded in the slushy water, got attention when its heartrending plight was widely reported. Sidda got a lease of life when the army stepped in to rescue it last month. But the animal finally succumbed to multiple ailments near the backwaters of Manchanabele dam, where it was undergoing treatment for long.
Sidda was cremated at Savanadurga Forest Range. According to veterinarians who treated the animal, Sidda had consumed 150kg of food on Thursday.
Sidda had broken its right forelimb on August 30 after being chased by villagers. “Apart from a forelimb fracture, Sidda had become blind in one eye and partially blind in the other. It had also suffered pellet injuries on its body,” veterinarians said. An autopsy was also conducted.
Ramanagara DCF Manjunath said that the Forest Department staff did everything possible to keep the elephant alive.
“We knew that chances of survival were slim. We still tried our best,” he said, adding that the department was planning to build a small memorial for the elephant on the spot.
Sources said the Forest Department spent close to `7 lakh till last week on the tusker’s treatment and food. The state government had released `10 lakh for its rehabilitation. Madras Engineering Group also contributed. MEG or Madras Sappers had even set up a temporary ‘kraal’ near the Manchanabele backwaters to facilitate Sidda’s treatment.