Wild elephant falls into well in forest-fringe hamlet in Kerala

Kochi, Aug 31 (PTI) A wild elephant, which strayed into a human settlement, fell into a well in a forest fringe hamlet near Kothamangalam in Kerala's Ernakulam district on Sunday.

The tusker was found inside the well, located in the compound owned by Varghese, a resident of Kottappadi, in the morning.

In the television visuals, it could be seen that the animal was standing in the muddy water inside the well, which has no compound wall.

After being informed by local people, forest officials rushed to the area and launched a mission to pull the elephant out from the deep well.

Meanwhile, villagers staged a protest in the area demanding a permanent solution to resolve the recurring incidents of human-animal conflicts.

"This area used to witness the straying of wild animals, especially elephants. Our crops are being destroyed, and our safety is at stake," a villager said.

The protesters demanded the forest officials to not release the elephant into any nearby area, as it would come back to the same place again.

They also asked the officials to shift it to some faraway wildlife sanctuaries.

Wild elephants had fallen into wells in the area in the past as well, villagers added. PTI LGK ADB