Anxious herd watches as forest dept rescues elephant calf from well in Kuruppampady

Perumbavoor: A baby elephant that fell into a well near Koranappara in Vengoor panchayat was rescued and safely released back into the forest to reunite with its herd on Sunday. The incident took place around 3 am when the three-year-old calf, which had strayed from its five-member herd, accidentally fell into the well. The well is located on land that was formerly privately owned and has since been taken over by the government.

The region is also known for frequent wild elephant movement, and five forest department patrol teams are currently stationed in the area.

Forest officials, alerted by the loud trumpeting of the distressed herd, rushed to the spot. The calf was freed after a two-hour rescue operation using an excavator, which carefully demolished part of the well’s side to create an escape path. Throughout the operation, the anxious herd remained close by, standing guard until the calf was safely rescued. 

The rescue was led by Forest Range Officer R Adheesh, with assistance from Rapid Response Teams from the Mankulam and Malayattoor forest stations.