KOCHI: Tension prevailed in Illithodu village in Malayattoor Neeleswaram panchayat on Wednesday morning as a three-year-old elephant calf fell into a well on the farmland of Pandala Saju. The mother elephant knocked down the sidewall of the well and pulled out the calf by around 6.30 am.
A herd of around seven elephants had entered the village on Tuesday night. The elephants were roaming around Saju’s farmland when the calf fell into the well around 4.30 am. The mother elephant tried to rescue the calf by razing the sidewalls of the well while other elephants moved back and took guard. Though local residents and forest department staff reached the spot, the herd did not allow anyone to approach the area.
As the well was only six feet deep, the mother elephant managed to pull out the calf within two hours and the herd returned to the forest along with the calf without causing disturbance. Meanwhile, another herd of 21 elephants had entered the village spreading panic among residents.
Another elephant calf had fallen into a well in the village on February 16, this year. The residents had launched a protest and the forest officials had promised that the 150-acre teak plantation at Illithodu will be converted into a natural forest to reduce the conflict.