Elephant Becomes Trapped in Well in Sri Lanka

Wildlife workers in Sri Lanka spent three hours freeing a wild elephant that had recently fallen into an agricultural well. Villagers told authorities about the trapped creature. Officials used an excavator to cut a path from the well to allow the elephant to climb out. Fire crackers were then lit to guide the animal to the nearby jungle. The human-elephant conflict on this Indian Ocean island nation has become a major issue as more forested areas are cleared for development projects in areas traditionally inhabited by elephants. The recent drought in most part of Sri Lanka – the worst in 40 years – has also forced elephants to move into human settlements in search of food and water.