Hope in the Heart of Chaos: How an elephant safeguards family in Wayanad landslide

A story of hope stands out as reports of death and despair come in from Wayanad, Kerala, where landslides have caused widespread damage. A woman and her young granddaughter survived the disaster thanks to an unexpected protector, a brave elephant that kept them safe through the night of heavy rain and chaos.

On the night of July 30, Sujatha was sleeping in her home in Chooralmala when strange noises woke her up. She saw mud and gravel coming through cracks in the floor, and soon, the ceiling collapsed, burying her under rubble. As she struggled to get up, she heard her granddaughter, Mridula, crying for help.

“I managed to pull her out while pushing against a huge tree that was crashing toward us. We crawled to safety and I held my child tight as I swam through the water. When we finally reached dry land and climbed up, I thought we were safe. We had arrived at a coffee plantation and tried to find help through the heavy rain. But then, to my shock, we saw three massive elephants in front of us, with one standing right in front of me,” Sujatha told the media. Her relief quickly turned into fear as she begged the giant animal for mercy. As she and Mridula took cover under a palm tree, Sujatha pleaded with the elephant: “We were very close to the tusker’s legs, but it seemed to understand our predicament. We stayed there until 6 am, and the elephants also stood there until we were rescued by some people in the morning. I could see its eyes welling up as the dawn broke,” said Sujatha. The tusker appeared to recognise their plight and remained still without causing them any harm.

Chooralmala is among the hardest-hit areas in Wayanad due to the recent landslides. Sujatha remembered that as she escaped from her collapsed home with Mridula, there were no neighbours to assist or anyone to call for help. The entire area had turned into a raging river, sweeping away houses and vegetation.

Sujatha, who has worked as a tea picker at the Harrisons Malayalam Tea Estate in Mundakkai for 18 years, had her son, daughter-in-law, and grandson in a nearby house. Her son managed to help two older residents by swimming to safety with Sujatha and Mridula, who are now staying at a relief camp in Meppadi. The rest of her family is receiving treatment at the hospital for various injuries.