A wild elephant was stuck in mud near Adhampatty, on the outskirts of Coimbatore, on January 25, 2026.
| Photo Credit: M. Periyasamy
The Forest Department on Sunday (January 25, 2026) rescued a wild elephant that got trapped in a muddy patch of land in a private property at Kuppanur in Coimbatore district.
Officials with the Department said the elephant, aged around 50, was found roaming in human habitations at Kuppanur in the early hours of Sunday (January 25). It is believed to have come from the Boluvampatti block–I reserve forests of Madukkarai forest range, around 1.7 km away.
According to officials, frontline staff of the Department were tracking the elephant as it was heading towards forest in the morning. The elephant stepped into a muddy patch of land next to a ground level water storage tank around 7:30 a.m.
The ground on one side of the tank was extremely moist as construction workers, who stay in an adjacent shed made of metal roofing sheets, take outdoor showers. The elephant got trapped in the mud and eventually collapsed after making multiple attempts to move away, they said.
A team led by Madukkarai Forest Range Officer R. Arun Kumar brought earth movers to the spot and removed soil around the fallen elephant. The animal was pulled out using belts attached to a crane around 10 a.m.
Mr. Arun Kumar said, “Forest Veterinary Officer S. Vennila was treating the elephant to revive it.”
Published – January 25, 2026 04:56 pm IST
