Last Thursday, G S Sharanya travelled to Kodagu from Kochi in Kerala to trek to Tadiandamol Peak, Karnataka’s third-highest at 1,748 metres, only to lose her way in the forest known for wild elephants.
Sharanya, 36, was rescued Sunday, three days after a massive search operation was launched to find her. “I knew there were elephants in the forest, but I was not afraid. I was confident that I would return, and I never panicked,” she told reporters in Kerala after she was rescued.
She checked into a homestay in Yavakapadi village near Napoklu and began her trek to the peak, under the Madikeri Forest Division, after completing formalities at the forest department checkpoint. She was asked by forest department officials to join a group of trekkers due to active wild elephant movement in the area.
Sharing her experience, Sharanya said, “While climbing down, I lost my way and tried to reach the forest helpline and a friend, but there was no network. I walked till 6.45 pm and then found a stream where I decided to rest.”
Sharanya said she was confident she would return and was unaware that a massive search operation was underway to rescue her.
“I was climbing a slope, and I saw a house and stayed there. On Sunday, I saw someone and called them loudly; they did the same. Initially, I thought they were trekkers, but after I went a bit further on the way, I then found locals who were part of the search operations,” she said.
Sharanya had not informed her parents, Gopi and Shailaja, about the trek and they spent sleepless nights after they came to know that she had gone missing.
“I usually tell my parents only after I reach. There are not many places to trek near my place. I usually video call them before or after I reach the peak,” Sharanya said, who is a software professional working in Kochi.
As soon as Sharanya reached her parents, they were relieved to see her. She laughingly said, “I will trek again.”
‘We are happy that she survived’
After she was reported missing, the search was intensified, and nearly 70 personnel, including the Anti-Naxal Force (ANF), the police, forest staff, and local volunteers, started looking for the resident of Nadapuram in Kerala’s Kozhikode district.
The team, which travelled about 50-60 km searching for Sharanya, also deployed thermal-imaging drones, mobile phone tracking, call data record analysis, and sniffer dogs. She was found by the rescuers in a remote patch of the forest “where nobody usually goes”.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Abhishek V, Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF), Madikeri Division, said the search team slept barely 4-5 hours a day until it found Sharanya.
“When we got the information about missing on April 2, we searched for her for nearly 15 hours straight. Every hour is important as the chances of survival grow slimmer. The teams walked at least 15 km a day and slept at the nearest watcher camp for a while,” he said.
Abhishek added that they also conducted drone searches at night. “These are night vision thermal drones which can easily detect movement during night hours. We flew that till 3 am to track her. There have been incidents of missing persons in this forest division in the past, but they have been traced within 2-3 hours. This was the first time such a massive operation was carried out,” he added.
“Sharanya had come alone for the trekking and we sent her with a team which was heading. We still don’t know how she lost her way, but we are relieved that she has been rescued,” he added.
Another forest official said she was lucky to have survived.
“Everyone feared elephant attacks, but there are leopards in this forest, and no one talked about them. It has a highly developed sense of smell, and it could have caused her trouble. Another thing is that she spent her nights near water streams, which is dangerous, as wild animals visit them at least once to drink. We are happy that she survived,” the official added.
(With inputs from Neysa Mary. Mary is an intern with The Indian Express)
Sharanya along with the four rescuers. She had gone missing on April 2. (Express Photo) 
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