Sidda had spent several weeks in the water near the dam after he injured his leg.
Sidda the elephant had fought hard to hold on to his life. But after months of struggle and hardship, he lost that battle.
Sidda was a wild elephant who had injured his leg after falling into a ditch few months ago. As the leg began to swell and continued to cause him pain, he spent his days in the Manchanabele Dam near Bengaluru. For weeks, he spent the better part of each day in the water - which helped ease the stress on his foot and gave him some buoyancy.
Villagers, who had earlier chased him away from their fields, began to provide him with food as he spent his days in the water instead of foraging. Animal lovers from the city would also drive up to the dam, about 30 km from Bengaluru, with more food for the elephant. Even some Army personnel helped take care of Sidda and several pleas were made to the state government to help him.
The state government had made an attempt to treat the injured leg, but it didn't work. As his pain got worse, and the demands for help became louder, the forest department sent in vets. Sidda's wound was then cleaned and treated, and he was given painkillers.
But the weakened animal, believed to be in his thirties, began to spend his days lying down and had also stopped eating. He had to be given IV drips and attempts were even made with a crane to make him stand.
Then the army stepped - in its official capacity - and built a cage-like support structure for Sidda. Using belts the army managed to bring the jumbo to his feet. He was kept upright with the help of a sling within the enclosure.
Once he was up on his feet, Sidda started to eat and had been showing signs of improvement. There was hope that he would make a full recovery. But early on Friday morning, Sidda died.
A crane was used to lift Sidda's body for burial. His tusks were cut off so that nobody would steal the ivory. Sidda's suffering is now over. But people who were used to the sight of the elephant in the water mourned his passing.