Elephant falls in well in Kerala's Malappuram; locals oppose its release in same area

Owner of the land in Urangattiri where the well is located and other local residents told the Nilambur DFO that they will not allow anyone to carry out the rescue work till an assurance is given that the elephant will be tranquilised and transported into a deep forest.

Malappuram: An elephant fell into a private well in this district on Thursday morning, and the forest department is facing difficulties in rescuing the pachyderm as locals want it to be relocated to some deep forest area instead of releasing in the same area again.

Over 12 hours since it fell into the well, the elephant is still awaiting rescue as residents are against releasing the tusker in the same area.

Meanwhile, ex-Nilambur MLA and present convener of the Trinamool Congress P V Anvar said the elephant should be killed by filling the well with mud.

"As they do in foreign countries, what should be killed, should be killed," he said while speaking to reporters after reaching Urangattiri village here where the elephant fell into the well at around 1 am.

He urged the public to stand together and not allow any Forest Department office to function in Kerala.

The Nilambur DFO Karthik P said that a team, including a veterinary doctor, was coming from Wayanad to assess the situation and examine the feasibility of tranquilising it.

The DFO said that a request has been sent to the Chief Wildlife Warden to issue an order to capture the elephant.

"It is not easy to tranquilise it inside the well and then bring it out. If we create a path using a JCB, then it will come out on its own," he said.

The official also said that steps will be taken in coordination with other departments to resolve the issue of wild elephant menace in the area and address the concerns of the people of the area.

Earlier in the day, the owner of the land in Urangattiri where the well is located and other residents told the Nilambur DFO that they will not allow anyone to carry out the rescue work till an assurance is given that the elephant will be tranquilised and transported into a deep forest.

They also demanded compensation for their crops destroyed by the elephants frequenting in the area.

Throughout the day the residents stuck to their stand that their concerns be addressed first before attempting to rescue the elephant.

The residents also told the forest official that the elephant would return shortly after the forest officials leave and therefore, it should be relocated to some other deep forest area.

Responding to this demand, the DFO said a decision would be taken after considering people's concerns.