A wild female elephant that had fallen after being trapped in a fence near a coffee estate was swiftly rescued by forest department personnel.

The incident took place in Kushalnagar district of Karnataka in southern India on November 22.

Visuals show the elephant lying on the ground, distressed, with its tail swaying. A fence bar had fallen on its leg, trapping it, while another section still remained connected to the rest of the fence preventing the elephant from moving. Forest officials acted quickly by loosening bolts on the fence. Once free, the elephant stood and moved away from the fence.

Speaking to Newslions, Ratan Kumar, Range Forest Officer at Kushalnagar, stated that the incident occurred when the female elephant was likely searching for food when it attempted to cross a barrier into human settlements. The animal got trapped beneath the rail track fencing, struggling for an extended period without being able to free itself. Local estate workers spotted the distressed elephant and promptly informed the Forestry Department. The elephant suffered minor injuries however, safely returned to the forest.

Past incidents have seen several elephants lose their lives after coming into contact with iron fencing. For instance, on December 15, 2018, a male elephant tragically died while trying to cross a fence in Nagarhole National Park, Karnataka. The 42-year-old elephant had raided a field before getting stuck on the fence, which had been erected to prevent elephants from entering human settlements. Environmentalists argue that iron fences are not a long-term solution to human-elephant conflict, and instead, they often lead to such tragic incidents.