Sub-adult elephant trapped in Shivanasamudra canal rescued after two-day operation

MANDYA: A sub-adult wild elephant, which is believed to have gone to drink water in a canal at Shivanasamudra in Malavali taluk and got stuck in the canal, was rescued after a 2-day operation by the Forest department on Tuesday.

The 10-12-year-old male elephant had got into the power generation canal of Pioneer Power Corporation Ltd and been struggling to get out of the canal since Sunday morning. A team of officials from the Forest department was working tirelessly to rescue it over the past two days. Since the water level was high, the flow was stopped for the water to reduce before rescuing the animal.

The Forest Department team, led by DCFs Raghu and Prabhu, worked continuously to rescue the elephant, providing it with food like sugarcane and jaggery. The rescue operation involved tranquilising the elephant twice and a hydraulic crane, brought from Bengaluru, was used to lift it out of the canal.

Due to being stuck in the water for two days, the elephant had developed a fungal infection, and its trunk and feet had become infected and turned white. It was treated by veterinarians before being released into the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary . “The elephant is healthy and we will monitor it with the help of a drone for the next one month. If it moves towards human habitation, we will drive it back to the forest”, said one of the veterinarians.

“The rescue was very tricky as we usually do not sedate the animal in water as it can cause sudden death if water enters the trunk and mouth. We discussed several ways to rescue the animal with several experts even as we were monitoring the animal continuously”, he added.

The elephant was placed on a bed, hoisted up and shifted to the forest where it was released.

After the successful rescue, the elephant’s health was checked by veterinary officers, who confirmed that it was stable. The rescue operation was widely appreciated by wildlife enthusiasts, who praised the efforts of the forest department team. The team was commended for their dedication and expertise in rescuing the elephant.