India, April 6 -- The early occurrence of high temperatures and lack of availability of drinking water in forest areas has forced wild animals to wander in search of water outside the forest areas. This has prompted a rise in cases where wild animals have fallen into uncovered wells in rural and semi-rural areas in the Pune district. According to official data shared by the RESQ Charitable Trust, an NGO partner with the Maharashtra Forest Department, at least 110 wild animals have been rescued from wells in the Pune district since 2022. Of these, 53 were rescued in 2024.

To avoid such incidents, the forest department has proposed providing boundary walls around the well and covering them with a safety net. Financial aid for the same has ...