Baby Elephant rescued after ten-hour ordeal in Valparai

A four-year-old male elephant calf was rescued after a tense ten-hour operation when it accidentally fell into an uncovered drinking water tank in the Valparai region of Coimbatore district early on Friday.
According to sources, a herd of four wild elephants entered the upper section of the Villoni Estate workers’ residential area around midnight.
At about 3 a.m., the elephants reached a 12-foot-deep ground-level drinking water tank located on a hillock near the residential quarters. While three elephants, including the mother, drank water from the tank, the calf slipped while attempting to drink and fell inside.
Unable to climb out, the calf struggled in the water as the mother elephant and others tried unsuccessfully to rescue it, trumpeting loudly.
The noise alerted estate workers, who discovered the calf trapped in the tank and informed the Valparai Forest Department.
When forest personnel reached the spot and began rescue efforts, the agitated mother elephant chased officials and attempted to prevent the operation. A poclain machine was later brought in as an alternative. During the operation, the mother elephant attacked the machine and repeatedly tried to drive away the staff, fearing harm to the calf.
After breaking one side wall of the tank, forest officials managed to create an exit. At around 10 p.m., the exhausted calf finally emerged.
The relieved mother embraced the calf, splashed water over it, and led it back into the forest. The dramatic rescue caused considerable tension in the area for several hours.