Foresters and fire personnel rescue jumbo trapped in trench

Mysuru: A tusker which had fallen into a cattle-proof trench on the border of Male Mahadeshwara Hills Wildlife Sanctuary was rescued in a joint operation by foresters and fire service department personnel on Wednesday.
The tusker, estimated to be a year old, had accidently fallen into the small trench constructed in Hanuru buffer zone coming under Pachche Doddi Beat near Arakanahalla earlier in the day. The awkward fall left the jumbo unable to move or lift its body to come off the trench.
The villagers who noticed the tusker struggling, informed DCF V Yedukondalu. “I received the information around 9am and immediately informed the Hanuru buffer zone range forest officer M Sunder. We rushed to the spot and found that the tusker could not move. Its head was in the small trench and the rest of the body outside. We immediately started the operation to rescue the tusker,” he told TOI.
The foresters immediately arranged an excavator machine and dug the ground. The ground was levelled by the excavator machine to ensure the animal stood on its left.
“The rescue operation started at around 9am and continued till 11am. The fire service personnel sprinkled water on the elephant to maintain its body temperature and prevent dehydration,” he said.
The rescued elephant was later released back to the forest. “We have asked wildlife vet Dr Nagaraj for the observation of the tusker,” Yedukondalu said.