Wild elephant rescued from village near Coimbatore returns to forest

A female elephant that was rescued by the Forest Department from Kuppanur village near Coimbatore on Sunday returned to a reserve forest area of Madukkarai range early on Monday.

The elephant aged around 50 was found trapped in a muddy patch, next to a construction workers’ shed, in a private land at Kuppanur at 7.30 a.m. Sunday. It was rescued from the mud using earthmovers.

Forest Veterinary Dr. S. Vennila and Forest Veterinary Assistant Surgeon E. Vijayaraghavan examined the elephant and administered over 20 bottles of IV fluids and medicines. The animal responded to the treatment and it was brought to a standing position with the support of belts using a crane by evening.

Forest Department staff led by Madukkarai Forest Range Officer R. Arun Kumar remained with the elephant throughout the night, during which it was given food stuffed with medicines as advised by the veterinarians.

“The elephant was given about 20 watermelons, three whole bunches of banana, papaya and sugarcane. It also consumed ragi balls mixed with jaggery, salt and tamarind. The treatment coupled with the food helped the animal regain its health. It stood with minimal support of the belts,” said Mr. Arun Kumar.

The team, based on the advice of the veterinarians, decided to release the elephant as it showed signs of improvement by 5 a.m., Monday. The animal was guided towards the course of a stream, which is its usual route while entering villages, with minimal support of the belts. The elephant freed itself from the belts, which were loosened, around 7.30 a.m. and walked along the stream. It entered Boluvampatti block-I reserve forest around 8.30 a.m. Frontline staff were deputed to monitor the elephant further.

Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary, Environment, Climate Change and Forests, lauded the team by sharing a video of the elephant freeing itself from the belts and walking towards forest on social media platforms.