- A 35-year-old wild elephant died after falling into an agricultural well in Coimbatore district
- The elephant had strayed from a nearby reserve forest into farmlands near Nallur Vayal Solai
- Local farmers alerted forest officials who deployed bulldozers but could not save the elephant
In a heart-wrenching incident, a 35-year-old wild elephant died after falling into a farm well near Nallur Vayal Solai, close to the Alandurai area in Coimbatore district. The tragedy occurred when the elephant, which had strayed out of the nearby reserve forest, accidentally fell head-first into the open agricultural well on Tuesday night.
The elephant reportedly entered farmlands near the foothills, prompting local farmers to alert forest officials. However, despite swift action deploying bulldozers, the elephant could not be saved.
Officials said the animal fell upside down into the water and was trapped in a position that made it nearly impossible to breathe or move. A forest officer told NDTV, “The well was just around 400 metres from the reserve forest. The elephant got trapped upside down under water. That’s why we couldn’t save it. He died quickly.”
This elephant, locals say, had been spotted in the area over the past three years and was known to roam the farmlands frequently. Residents had previously requested that the forest department relocate the animal deeper into the forest to prevent such accidents.
After a two-hour-long effort, the forest team managed to retrieve the carcass. The body was transported to the Coimbatore Kottur veterinary hospital for a post-mortem examination.
This tragic incident has once again raised concerns about the increasing human-wildlife conflict in forest-bordering regions of Tamil Nadu, especially in the Western Ghats where elephants often wander into human habitats due to shrinking forest cover and scarcity of food and water.
Animal rights activists however reiterate the need to clear human settlements on elephant corridors and in forest areas.