Karnataka: Jumbo calf rescued from pit after 6-hour operation

MADIKERI: A five-year-old elephant calf that fell into a septic tank in Kodagu, was rescued by the forest department on Tuesday.
It took nearly six hours for officers to pull the jumbo out of the tank with the help of Dasara elephant Krishna.

The calf was found in the pit inside a coffee plantation in Devarapura Bhagragold village off Gonikoppal-Mysuru Road around 6am by the villagers.Foresters were immediately tipped-off and the rescue operation was launched. The calf was brought out of the pit around 12 noon.

It is suspected the calf got separated from the herd and fell into the open pit during pre-dawn hours. Calf was later reunited with the herd.
According to the forest department authorities, “Locals first alerted the village-level teams formed by the forest department. They rushed to the spot. As the pit was deep — about 6feet — it made operation a bit difficult,” an officer explained.
A tamed elephant from Mathigodu was brought in and it helped the officials in pulling the calf out of the pit using rope.
Initially, the rings of the septic tank and the stones were removed to allow the calf to come out. However, as its legs were stuck, it struggled and got weary. Later, a rope was tied around the neck of the calf and it was pulled out.
“The calf has sustained only minor injuries. It has now joined the herd in the local Devara Kaadu (sacred groves),” informed officials.
According to the locals, one MM Subramani had dug the tank near his house. He did not use the pit and it was left open, and it was filled with rain water. A herd of elephants was moving from this area towards the nearby sacred grove forest and the calf fell into the pit accidentally.
Thithimathi range forest officer Ashok Hunagunda and other officials carried out the rescue operation.