ERODE: Forest department officials late on Friday night rescued a young female elephant, likely to be six to eight years old, that had accidentally fallen into an underground water storage tank located on a private farmland near Anthiyur in Erode district. According to forest officials, the animal, which entered the farmland in Mutharasan Kuttai village in search of food, was chased by stray dogs, leading to it accidentally falling into the tank.
The farmland, belonging to one Arun, lies adjacent to a reserve forest area that falls under the Anthiyur forest range. The water storage tank is located behind Arun's house and it is nearly 12 ft deep, with water filled up to 6 ft on Friday night. "While being chased by the stray dogs, the elephant ran off course and it accidentally fell into the tank, which was covered with cement sheets. The incident came to light only after Arun visited the tank after hearing the animal's screams," said an official, adding that the rescue operation lasted nearly two hours.
Anthiyur Forest Range Officer M Nandini said the elephant fell into the tank around 9.50 pm and the team was able to reach the spot immediately, as it was about 800 metres from a forest department check-post. "When we reached the spot, the elephant was frightened," she said.
As the elephant did not cooperate, the rescue team's initial attempts to drain water from the tank and rescue the animal using ropes ended in vain, she said. This led to the team bringing in an earthmover, which delayed the rescue efforts slightly. The FRO said, "We breached the wall of the tank along the direction of the forest boundary and created a canal for the elephant to come out. Initially, the elephant was frightened by the arm of the heavy machinery, but later it grabbed the arm and climbed out of the tank," adding that the animal has returned to the forest safely and is being continuously monitored.
One of the villagers, lauding the efforts of the forest department, said, "We were afraid that a herd of elephants would enter the village looking for the young elephant. The timely intervention of the forest department has resolved everything."