Dam shutters lowered to rescue stuck jumbo

Thrissur: Timely intervention of Forest Department officials and executive engineer of the Peringalkuthu Dam saved the life of a Makhna, male elephant without tusks, that got trapped on a rocky portion in the middle of Chalakudy River on Monday morning above Athirappally Waterfalls.

This portion of the river is situated downstream Peringalkuthu and Sholayar Dams and between Athirappally and Vazhachal waterfalls.  

The pachyderm which was trying to cross the river through the elephant corridor reached the rocky portion on the river and could not swim further to either side of the fast flowing river apparently due to the sudden increase in the water level.

“I got the message from the Forest guards who were on the routine perambulation in the forest that the elephant got trapped among the slippery rocks and soon requested the assistant executive engineer of the Peringalkuthu Dam to lower the shutters of the dam so that the level and speed of the water flowing through the river can be brought down,”  Vazhachal DFO S.V. Vinod said.  

The DFO said that the engineers of the dam agreed to bring down three shutters of the dam for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, crackers were burst by the Forest guards and the elephant went back on it way crossing the river to the forest, the DFO added.

The rescue operation was completed by 11 a.m. and the dam shutters were soon brought back to a higher position.