MADIKERI: An elephant calf stuck inside the opening of a septic tank in Kodagu was rescued by forest department staff who toiled for over two hours. The incident was reported in Badragola village limits in Virajpet taluk.
The villagers of Badragola woke up to the cries of an elephant calf on Tuesday morning. The calf, approximately five years old, was stuck in a tiny opening of a septic tank – which was dug on a private piece of land owned by resident MM Subramani. The villagers alerted the forest department and the spot was visited by Thithimathi RFO Ashok alongside others.
The department staff tried for over an hour to pull out the calf, but in vain. The elephant calf helplessly waved its trunk around the hole, even as the staff tried digging out the tank ring. When their efforts did not bear fruit, the Mathigodu Camp elephant Kunthi was called in for the rescue mission. A rope was tied around the neck of the calf and it was pulled out by Kunthi.
“We took over two hours to rescue the calf. The elephant herd was not in sight. We are tracking the herd across Devarapura Sacred Grove limits to reunite the calf with its mother,” confirmed RFO Ashok.