Elephant calf drowns in well; three others rescued

An elephant calf drowned after falling into an irrigation well in Christawakulam Village in Settikulam Vavuniya. Two other elephant calves and a female elephant were rescued from the same well by wildlife officers and area residents. 

The elephants had fallen into the well, which is about 20 feet deep on the night of August 13. A rescue operation was launched on the morning of the 14th by wildlife officers from the Department of Wildlife Conservation's offices in Vavuniya and Madhu. They were assisted by Settikulam police and area residents. 

A backhoe was brought into dig the elephants out of the well. However, by the time elephants were taken out of the well, one of the baby elephants had died. The other two elephant calves and the female elephant were released to the Christawakulam forest reserve. 

The elephants had fallen into the well while going in search of water. The elephant calves are aged six months, two years and four years. Of the calves, the four-year-old had drowned in the well. 

Story and Pix by Romesh Madhusanka

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