Tension prevailed for nearly three hours in the Mekkapala forest station limits near Perumbavoor on Saturday (March 15) after a baby elephant, part of a herd, fell into a gorge. The other elephants stayed put in the area, and one of them even turned violent.
The baby elephant got trapped in the gorge on private property, which the Forest department is in the process of acquiring due to its proximity to the forest, around 4 a.m. Though Forest officials rushed to the scene, they could not immediately approach the trapped calf.
Later, when the herd moved away, Forest officials, with the help of local residents, whittled down the side of the gorge, enabling the baby elephant to climb out. Meanwhile, the mother elephant knocked down a motorcycle and attacked a Forest department vehicle before being scared back into the forest by the noise created by people.
With the summer worsening and water sources inside the forest drying up, people along the forest fringes remain on edge, fearing that more wild animals may venture out.
Published - March 15, 2025 09:42 pm IST
