It was the day of a long and anxious wait and a happy family reunion for an elephant herd with its young member, which got accidentally trapped in an abandoned well near Thattekad.
The residents of the areas located in the Urulanthanni forest section came to know about the accident as the trumpeting of the animals broke the silence of the night.
The helpless herd remained in the vicinity of the well, keeping a close watch on the situation.
The accident occurred when the animals, which came from across the Urulanthanni river, moved across the land holding.
As the trapped calf raised the alarm with sorrowful trumpeting, the herd displayed signs of distress, said a forest official, who took part in the rescue mission.
Forest officials mobilised men and resources around 7 a.m. to rescue the calf.
The herd moved away from the site as an excavator was brought in. Earth was removed using the machine and a slanting pathway was created from the well so that the young elephant could walk out to freedom.
After much struggling and spending about four hours in the small well, the calf walked through the pathway created by its rescuers into the warmth of its waiting family members.
The herd received its young member with an unusual display of affection. Adult elephants in the group could be seen touching and pampering the calf as if to comfort it. Later, the herd escorted its young member through the river, said Shiju V. Chacko, the section forest officer of Thattekkad.
The forest officials were led by T.T. Dinesh Kumar, the section forest sfficer of Urulanthanni.
