A wild elephant fell into an abandoned well at Chokkana in Kundayi, Palappilly, in the early hours of Thursday.

The incident occurred in a Harrison’s plantation near the roadside. Plantation workers who arrived for rubber tapping in the morning spotted the elephant trapped inside the well.

The elephant was separated from a herd spotted in the area the previous day and fell into the well while moving around.

Forest officials from the Vellikulangara Forest Range reached the spot and initiated rescue operations. As the well was not very deep, a JCB excavator was brought in to remove the soil from one side of the well, creating a path for the elephant to climb out.

Meanwhile, the other elephants in the herd remained in a nearby plantation.

After being rescued, the elephant climbed out of the well and ran back into the forest.