A six-year-old male Indian gaur fell into a small well in a private farm near Chettiyar Park here on Monday night. Forest Department officials struggled for hours to rescue the wild animal from the well.
The forest staff said they could not lift the well-grown animal from the narrow well which had only little water. Finally, they used excavators to dig the land near the well to create a ramp down to the bed of the well to enable the animal to come out.
The animal was caught in slush and mud in the well. The slushy ramp was also very slippery and the animal trundled in the slush to climb up the ramp. However, it managed to reach the land surface and walked slowly into the reserve forest.
The gaur was moving in the dark in search of food and water when it fell into the ground-level well that did not have a parapet, they said.
Entry of wild animals into residential areas in search of water and food was common in Kodaikanal. Earlier, one gaur entered the Government Hospital premises and another lone gaur was strolling inside Kodaikanal new bus stand recently. A herd of gaurs was roaming near the lake in morning hours, said local people.
