‘Hid in a tree trunk…’ Women survive harrowing 14-hr ordeal in forest after encountering elephant

Kothamangalam: Three women who ventured into the forest to search for their lost cow were trapped for a night on top of a rock pile. The women climbed the rock pile after spotting wild elephants. Initially, they sought shelter in a tree trunk after running away from the elephants. However, when the elephants approached the tree trunk, the women ran again and took refuge near a rock pile.

Maya Jayan, Parukkutty and Darli had gone into the forest on Thursday afternoon to search for a cow that had gone missing since Wednesday. The women ventured towards the Munnipara area near the old medicinal plantation in search of the cow. Their house is located on the forest boundary. The cow, which had been missing since Wednesday, was a valuable asset to Maya’s family.

After a 14-hour search, the women were found about six kilometers deep into the forest in a place called Arakumuthi. They had taken refuge on the rock pile after encountering the elephants. Maya, who had lost contact with her family after the call was disconnected, later explained that they couldn’t make phone calls due to loss of signal.

Maya had earlier called her husband and informed him that they had encountered elephants, and in panic, they scattered in different directions. She also mentioned being on a rock and asked her family to bring water. But when forest officials asked for the exact location, she couldn’t provide clear details. The family grew worried when they couldn’t contact her after that.

A team of three squads, each consisting of 15 members, led by Forest Range Officer R Sanjeev Kumar and Kuttampuzha CI PA Faisal, carried out a search operation within a six-kilometer radius of the forest till late at night but could not locate the women. One of the search teams narrowly escaped an encounter with elephants at dusk.