This was the moment an elephant got stranded on a rock in the middle of a river with the water level rising every minute.
Fortunately, for the elephant, officials responded quickly and shut down the release of water, saving the life of the behemoth.
The incident occurred in the Indian state of Kerala, which is reeling under floods and landslides, caused by heavy rains.
The male elephant, without tusks, was trying to cross the at the Chalakudy River when the water level started rising rapidly as officials opened the shutters of the nearby Peringalkuthu Dam.
By the time the elephant had reached the middle of the river, the fast moving current made it impossible to move any further. The elephant found slippery rocks and took refuge on them.
A few forest guards, who were on duty, alerted their seniors who requested the engineers in-charge of the dam to stop releasing water to let the elephant escape.
“After we made a request, the engineers at the Peringalkuthu Dam lowered the shutters of the dam for 30 minutes to bring down the level and speed of the water flowing through the river,” said Vazhachal District Forest Officer S V Vinod.
As the water level subsided, the elephant crossed the river and disappeared in the forest.
