The 40-year-old wild tusker (weighing three tonnes) which was trapped in the intake-pond of the Sankarpathi power house on the Anamalais four days ago, is dead. It died last night [November 7] while it was being pulled out by a giant crane after a heroic struggle to survive. The animal had fallen into the pond, 70 feet below when it strayed into it through the mouth of the tunnel. For three days it tried to get back to solid ground and forest officials made Herculean efforts to save it. But they failed to immobilise and tranquillize the elephant through drugs injected through an American-made gun. The tusker was driven to the deep pool nearby by raising the level of water in the pond. It swam across the pool to the opposite side from where it started tracing its way back along the tunnel. But the current was so strong that it was pushed back into the pool.
