The scenic Athirappilly Falls in Thrissur is a favoured location for filmmakers, and movies like Raavan and Baahubali have been shot here.
However, as Kerala continues to reel under the devastating floods, a very different kind of scene would have played out, had it not been for the locals, forest officials and wildlife lovers.
On Monday, locals discovered a stranded wild elephant who had presumably been swept away from a different location. The pachyderm had somehow managed to climb on a rocky terrain but was unable to move out as it was engulfed by gushing water from all sides.
They alerted the authorities and thus began a 4-hour effort to save the elephant.
Speaking to Hindustan Times, a senior forest official said, “The elephant was tired, and it seems it was stranded there for more than 24 hours. We found gushing water should be controlled to save it. We immediately approached the officials of Peringalkooth dam, and they agreed to shut three sluice gates for two hours.”
The officer elaborated that once the water receded, crackers were burst to lead the tusker into the forest.
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According to Indiatimes, the area where the elephant was found, is a known elephant corridor. Well, thanks to the timely intervention of Kerala’s Forest Department and authorities in charge of the dam, this elephant lives to see another day!
Watch the video of the stranded elephant being rescued.
(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)