Ooty: Baby elephant falls into house through roof, mother jumbo destroys shack to save it
Synopsis
Zumila and her month-old baby were asleep when the sound of the roof crashing down woke them up The baby elephant, which was terrified by the fall and the strange environment, ran amok in the house
A mother elephant and its baby were out on a stroll in the Kozhipalam area near Gudalur on Thursday night when the baby strayed off and stepped on the asbestos roof of a house near the road. It goes without saying that the roof gave away and the baby landed in the shack.
Zumila, 30, and her month-old baby were reportedly asleep when the sound of the roof crashing down woke them up. Seeing an elephant in her room, Zumila ran out of the room with her baby and tried to hide in the kitchen.
However, the baby elephant, which was terrified by the fall and the strange environment, ran amok in the house and knocked Zumila down. It could not get out of the house as both doors were locked.
The mother elephant, which came looking for her baby, then broke open a side of the house and pulled the little one out. Forest officers, who were informed of the incident by then, rushed to the spot and forced the two elephants back to the forest. The injured Zumila was admitted to the Gudalur government hospital.
It is understood that the government will recommend compensation to the family after procedural formalities. Located on the Ooty-Kozhikode stretch, Kozhipalam is only 500 metres away from the reserve forest area.