Young elephant stuck in a swampy pit rescued in India

Young elephant stuck in a swampy pit rescued in India

Story by Sagaya Fernando

Mumbai: March 12, 2018 

A young male elephant that had come out of the forest apparently in search of food and water in the wee hours of March 11, got stuck in a swampy pit at Madhihalli village in Alur circle of Hassan District in the South Indian state of Karnataka.

Hearing the wailing trumpets of the baby tusker, the villagers rushed to the spot and found the anxious elephant trying to come out of the pit but due to the swampy condition getting stuck further. The villagers informed the Hassan District forest officials, who brought a JCB earthmover along.

“The 10 to 12 years old male elephant was rescued by digging a path from the swampy pit. The rescue operation lasted about two hours. After coming out of the pit safely, the baby elephant ran away into the nearby forest,” said Hassan Division Assistant Conservator of Forests K Harish.

“Every living creature needs water and food to sustain life. With summer setting in and the temperature rising, wild animals stray out of forests into human habitations in search of food or water. This poor little tusker which entered this village had to struggle for its life. Luckily for it, the forest officials rescued it in time,” said wildlife activist Bhagya Lakshmi.