COIMBATORE: A 50-year-old female wild elephant that was rescued from a muddy pit on a farmland in Karadimadai was released into the forest on Monday morning. Within half an hour of the release, the elephant covered nearly 1.5 km and entered the Boluvampatti Block I reserve forest in the Madukkarai forest range, officials said.
“Around 5 am on Monday, we guided the elephant towards the stream near the Ayyasamy temple in Karadimadai near Kuppanur, which had been its usual route over the past couple of days,” said a forest department official involved in the rescue and release operation.
Though a small herd was sighted nearby, the animal did not join it immediately. Forest department staff are continuing to monitor its movements.
The elephant had managed to stand on its own since Sunday evening, requiring only minimal support from the hoisting belt used during the rescue operation. “As we noticed visible signs of improvement, the belt was removed,” the official added.
“We have taken a blood sample to ascertain the elephant’s health. The results will be known in the coming days,” said Coimbatore Forest Range Officer R Arunkumar.