Kushalnagar: A wild elephant escaped from the slush on its own, but only to damage ginger crop and a two-wheeler in panic, at Chikkabettageri  near Kushalnagar.

On Wednesday, the wild elephant, aged about 16 years, ventured into the agricultural land belonging to Ashok in search of food and water and created a havoc. It later fell into the pit, in which a borewell was sunk.

Soon, Forest Department officials and staff, who reached the spot, tried to drive the wild elephant back into the forest during which it entered a trench filled with slush and  was trapped in it.

The Forest personnel later summoned an earth excavating machine and tried to haul the elephant from the trench but in vain. After a three hour-long operation, the wild elephant slowly moved forward on its own, got out of the trench and ran into a farm, where it trampled ginger crop of one Lalu and damaged a two-wheeler of one Nadan.

Villagers alleged that it was the same elephant which had destroyed crops in Balugodu Bettageri limits.

Range Forest Officer (RFO) Rathan Kumar, Deputy Range Forest Officers  (DRFO) Ranjan, Anil D’Souza and Devaiah and Forest Guards took part in the operation.