4-month-old elephant falls into trough, rescued

Forest personnel said that on Saturday night the herd entered Rayaruthupathi tribal settlement located at the foothills of Palamalai. The herd was driven back into the forest by department personnel. 

Around 4 am on Sunday a calf (hardly 3 feet tall) which was walking near a six-foot deep trough, constructed by a private firm for wild animals to quench their thirst, fell into it accidentally. It struggled to come out, but its efforts did not pay off, as the trough was filled with water to the brim. Even his mother tried to get him out, but in vain. 

Two more elephants joined the rescue attempt, but they could not bring out the calf. While the calf was struggling for breath by stretching its trunk out of the water, the desperate cow elephant kept trumpeting and managed to get the attention of the villagers. Villagers alerted the forest department around 5 am. They immediately began the rescue operation. They tied its legs with ropes and tried to get it out. 

After a desperate struggle, close to three hours, the calf was rescued. But, in the process, it suffered minor injuries on its leg. It was frightened by the presence of too many people and ran towards a group of women who were watching the rescue operations from a distance. They comforted it like a child and with the help of forest personnel it was sent into the forest. 

Its mother and herd that were waiting in the forest close to the hamlet accepted the calf, after which they walked back to their habitat. Forest personnel said that they will monitor the calf for a few days to check if the injured leg is healed.

An 8-yearold boy died in an elephant attack at Uthamapalayam near Cumbum in Theni district, on Saturday. His parents and brother, who also suffered serious injuries in the attack,  have been hospitalised. 

The incident happened late on Saturday late evening when Murugan, a farmer from Uthamapalayam, along with wife, Viroosi, and sons Vignesh and Alagesan, had gone to their farm behind their house. As the  village is located close to the Western Ghats, wild animals entering farm lands is a common occurrence.  

When the family was walking in the farm an elephant, which was lurking in the dark amid greenery, suddenly attacked Alagesan. It seized the boy by its trunk and threw him away. When the other three rushed to help him, they too were attacked by the elephant. 

It then slowly disappeared into the forest. Their terrified screams echoed in the entire area. Hearing their alarming cries people from the neighbouring farms rushed to the spot. They made some arrangements and took the family to the hospital. In the hospital, Alagesan was declared brought dead and the remaining three, who had suffered serious injuries, are undergoing treatment. 

Residents of Uthamapalayam and kin of the family said that menace of wild animals had increased in the recent past and despite alerting the police and forest department, no action has been taken so far. “Forest department have not visited our village even once. We will receive the body of Alagesan only when sufficient compensation amount is given to the affected family,” said the kin of Alagesan.