PATHANAMTHITTA: Forest officials on Tuesday noon rescued a tiger that had fallen into an open well near Chittar, under the Thannithode station limits of the Ranni forest division, after hours long operation. The tiger was found trapped in a 15-ft-deep open well without a protective wall, located in the compound adjoining a house.
Kollamparambil Sadashivan, resident of the house, said he heard a loud noise from the well around 5am, following which an inspection revealed the presence of the animal. Forest personnel and police rushed to the spot and launched rescue operations. After administering two doses of tranquiliser, the female tiger — believed to be three years old — was lifted out around noon.
The Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) said the tiger did not suffer any serious injuries and does not have other health complications. He said that the initial plan was to rescue the animal by pumping out the water from the well. However, that plan was soon dropped as it could have enabled the tiger to escape, he added. Veterinary experts along with the team confirmed that the feline was healthy following which the officials chose tranquilisation.