Pandalam: A mahout who had been stranded atop a frenzied elephant at Kurampala in Pandalam, Pathanamthitta, was rescued after 10 hours. The elephant, which had been brought to Kulanada for timber work, became agitated and bolted when street dogs began barking at it. This sudden movement left the mahout stranded on top of the elephant. Finally, after the elephant was tranquilised, the mahout was safely brought down. The mahout, identified as Kunjumon from Mayithara, Cherthala, had been stranded since Sunday morning.

At around 11.30 am, an elephant named Appu from Haripad became unsettled when a group of stray dogs barked at it, causing it to panic. It charged into a nearby plot owned by a person named Ravindran. In the initial moments, the elephant uprooted a few rubber trees on the property and then moved into an adjacent plot, where it remained.

Around 5.30 pm, a group of two or three mahouts managed to partially restrain the elephant. However, despite being tied to a tree, the elephant continued to show signs of restlessness, making it impossible for the chief mahout, Kunjumon, to get down. As evening fell, strong winds and rain compounded the difficulties. The mahout was forced to stay on top of the elephant throughout this period.

The rain caused power outages in the area, leading to delays in administering the tranquiliser. Eventually, by 9.45 pm, the Forest Department managed to tranquilise the elephant. After waiting for 15 minutes to ensure the elephant was fully sedated, Kunjumon was able to dismount. He was immediately taken to a private hospital in Pandalam for treatment.