An adolescent elephant that was stuck in slush at Bandipur was rescued by forest personnel late on Saturday.
The female elephant was found wallowing in the slush in Moleyur range of Bandipur Tiger Reserve. Initially, it was thought to be rolling and taking a mud bath to beat the summer heat, as is the wont of the free-ranging elephants when they come across waterbodies in forests.
But soon it became apparent that the elephant had exhausted itself in its attempt to extricate itself out of the slush. It was unable to stand and was rolling from side to side to heave itself up, but struggling to do so given the slippery nature of the terrain.
The Forest Department personnel, who reached the spot on being alerted by the watchers, informed their higher-ups and a heavy earth-moving equipment was pressed into service. It was used to gently nudge the elephant towards the edge of the slush where the ground was less slippery. This enabled the elephant to haul itself up. It appeared disoriented for some time, but gently ambled away into the jungles. The authorities said they monitored the elephant for a while and it appeared to be healthy.
This is the second such incident in recent months. Early in January, a 20-year-old elephant was trapped in Nugu reservoir, in the fishing nets laid by local villagers. They disabled its ability to swim. But following a rescue operation and the removal of the nets, the elephant walked free into the jungles.
