A wild elephant fell into an abandoned well at a plantation in Thrissur district of Kerala on Thursday (October 29). Forest officials rescued the animal with the help of excavator and created a sloping path so that it could climb out safely and return to nearby forest.
The incident took place at Chokkana in Kundayi near Palappilly. The elephant was part of a herd which was spotted in the area before the incident occurred.
🚨 ELEPHANT CALF REUNITED WITH MOTHER AFTER 7 HOURS A mother elephant and her calf fell into a water tank in Kurseong, West Bengal. Both were rescued but the calf became separated from its mother during the operation. Forest staff tracked the mother for seven hours eventually reuniting the pair. The mother’s reaction at the end is a moment to watch. 🐘 #Wildlife #Elephants #WestBengal https://t.co/gPFlnstocn
— contentkikamii (@contentkikamii) October 26, 2026
The plantation workers who came to tap rubber in the morning saw the animal trapped inside the well and informed Forest Department.
Forest Officials Launch Rescue Operation
Officials of Vellikulangara Forest Range reached the plantation after receiving the alert and rescue operation began.
The well was not very deep but the elephant couldn’t get out on his own. Forest officials decided to use an earthmover to dig up soil and break down one side of the well.
What we were doing was creating a sloping passage so that the animal could slowly make its way down to ground level without being lifted out.
Officials said the rescue operation went on for several hours and by 10:30 am, the elephant had climbed out of well using the new path.
Elephant Rejoins Its Herd
When the elephant emerged from the well it went towards forest and joined herd roaming in plantation area around.
Forest officials monitored the situation during the operation and took precautions to manage presence of other elephants around.
The successful rescue relieved plantation workers and people in the area who had been worried about the animal’s safety.
Abandoned Wells Pose Risks to Wildlife
The incident has also highlighted the dangers that abandoned and uncovered wells can pose to wild animals (especially those located close to forests and wildlife movement corridors).
Elephants and other animals moving through plantations and agricultural areas may encounter open pits, wells and other structures that can become accidental traps.
Such incidents reinforce the need to find unused wells and secure them (especially in areas where human settlements, plantations and wildlife habitats overlap).
The Thrissur incident ended with the elephant returning to the forest but it also shows that preventive measures are needed to reduce accidental wildlife injuries and human-wildlife conflict in the region.
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