Mourners have been flocking to pay their respects to an injured wild elephant who died on Friday after a three month battle to save his life.
Partially blind Sidda, who was about 35 years old, broke his leg in August after falling into the Manchanabele Dam in Magadi, Karnataka, reportedly trying to flee angry locals looking to protect their crops.
Villagers and others offer prayers next to Sidda’s body after he died of his injuries on a river bank on the outskirts of Bangalore, India
A man prays in front of Sidda’s body after he died of his injuries in the early hours of Friday
The army had earlier sent 50 troops to build a special supportive frame for Sidda after hearing of his plight, and the bull had started to show signs of recovery
But Sidda lost his fight for survival in the early hours of Friday, despite showing dramatic signs of improvement in recent weeks.
Sidda resting in the backwaters of the Manchanabele Dam where he had taken refuge after he broke his right leg while being chased by villagers in late August
Sidda was then rescued from the water by a team of wildlife experts in October and had been treated by Wildlife SOS vets since then
‘Last night things took a sudden turn for the worse, and Sidda passed away unexpectedly.
As well as his injuries, Sidda was also partially blind, with his impairment seen here as he lies on the ground fighting for his life
A crane lifts Sidda’s body to place him on the ground for autopsy after he died of his injuries
A man feeds water to Sidda while he was still alive but deteriorating as he lay on his side before the special structure was built by the Indian Army
‘Rest in peace, Sidda,’ the statement added.
His condition later improved after he got back on his feet thanks to the special enclosure
The troops with engineer specialists from the Madras Sappers Division spent days erecting the complex structure, with a pulley mechanism to lift and support Sidda
The stricken elephant was lifted into the new enclosure last month after spending weeks lying on his side, deteriorating further
Many therefore headed to the site over the weekend to pay their respects to the elephant, covering him in flower garlands and offering prayers before he was buried nearby on the river bank.
Sidda, thought to be around 35 years old, was found stranded in a dam in Magadi, Ramanagara, with a broken leg
For weeks, caring locals had been tending to the stricken bull, bringing him food, before rescue efforts began
Two trained elephants joined the rescue on October 21 to help calm terrified Sidda, whose story has touched animal lovers across India.
In October, after weeks spent treating the animal in the water, a committee of experts was formed by the Karnataka Forest Department with help from charity Wildlife SOS
The experts decided Sidda needed to be pulled from the water for treatment and a gruelling four-hour operation was carried out
Under the command of Brig R K Sachdeva, 50 troops from the Madras Sappers Division constructed a supportive structure to harness the animal and keep him lifted to allow better treatment.
After sustaining his injury, the partially-blind elephant waded into a nearby ditch, using the natural buoyancy of the water to alleviate the pain in his fractured limb
Sidda, who was adored by locals, did start to show promising signs of recovery when he was lifted from the dam but passed away on Friday after months of treatment
Before his supportive structure was built, he had been lying on his side for weeks and Wildlife SOS had said he was clearly suffering with a ‘grave’ prognosis
While concerned locals and forest officials had initially tried to help Sidda, Geeta believes that earlier intervention from professionals could have given Sidda a better chance of survival and eventual recovery.
Sidda was only been able to stand with the help of a crane until the army came to his aid
Reports claim that anything up to 50 locals a day visited Sidda to watch the veterinary experts work round-the-clock to save him
‘Traditional conservationists do not advocate interventions and feel wild animals should be left to survive or perish as per the laws of nature.