Agali (Palakkad): A wild jumbo calf, which got trapped in muddy pond after it strayed into a village in search of water, was rescued by Wildlife officials and villagers. The elephant calf, aged around a year and a half, was found trapped in a pond in a private farm at Pattanakkallu in Puthoor panchayat of Attappadi.

The calf had strayed away from a herd that had wandered out of the forest in the night in search of water. Though the pond is shallow, the baby couldn’t climb out of the pond. The herd had attempted to rescue the elephant till dawn but in vain.

Unable to abandon the baby, the herd waited on the premises of the pond. Following the villagers alert, the Rapid Response Team of the Forest Department and officials of the Puthoor Forest station rushed to the spot for the rescue operations. When a part of the pond was levelled using rocks after knocking down the sides, the baby scrambled out and joined the herd which was waiting for him. The rescue operations lasted an hour and a half.