Trichy: In a rescue operation that lasted for more than six hours, an Indian gaur, which fell into a well near Manapparai in Trichy was successfully rescued from it in the early hours on Sunday. A team of veterinarians comprising experts from Sathaymangalam were roped in to rescue the wild animal.The animal was tranquilised and lifted out of the well with the help of a crane and let into the wild. A fire and rescue service personnel suffered injuries during the process.Estimated to be around three years old, the 700kg herbivorous animal accidentally fell into the open well in Vellayagoundampatti village near Puthanatham. The gaur luckily escaped unhurt, despite an 80-feet fall into the well, which had around two feet deep water.It was around 6am on Saturday when villagers spotted the gaur inside the well and informed the forest department. Apart from the rescue team, a 10-member fire and rescue service team equipped with a crane lifted the gaur from the well after tranquilising it. “It was indeed a challenging task considering the tough terrain, but the well-coordinated efforts of the rescue team and fire service personnel resulted in the safe rescue of the animal,” district forest officer D Sujatha said.Upon receiving the information, forest department contacted veterinarians from across the state and based on the availability, a five-member team led by K Asokan of the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve Veterinary Hospital reached the spot at around 6.30pm on Saturday. “In the meantime, we pumped out the two feet water out of the well to ensure that the gaur doesn’t get drowned after getting tranquilised,” said the DFO.Asked about such frequent incidents, the DFO blamed the open wells in the region and added that efforts must be taken to fence them. “Thankfully, the owner of the well agreed to pump out the water, otherwise we would have faced issues to get consent. Farmers may not be willing to give away the little water they have,” said the DFO.

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