© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
As rain goes wild in Kerala with images of landslides and rivers in spate and submerged paddy fields flooding the social media, a video of a wild elephant caught in the strong currents of Chalakkudy river in Thrissur district struggling for survival Tuesday has taken the internet by storm.
In the video, the elephant is seen submerged in the fast-flowing water for a while. Amid the turbulent currents, the elephant wages a valiant battle for nearly three hours to enter a safer spot near a couple of trees, according to an IE Malayalam report.
Watch the video here:
The wild jumbo got swayed away in the gushing waters in Chalakkudy river Tuesday morning, after the Parambikulam dam was opened. On spotting the tusker after it got stuck in Palipara area, all the residents could do was to wait on the banks of the river in full fury with helplessness as the wild animal put up a tough fight. Much to the relief of the onlookers and the forest officials, the pachyderm, using its trunk, finally managed to wade itself to safety and re-entered the forest. By the time, a large crowd had gathered on the banks to watch the mammoth act of survival in the fast-flowing waters.
Officials said that 12 people lost their lives in different rain-related incidents in Kerala since Sunday. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a ‘red alert’, warning of heavy rainfall, in 10 districts of Kerala, and an ‘orange’ alert in the rest of the four districts. Red alerts have been issued in different districts till August 4.
