Wildlife experts pulled him from the water in a

Army personnel have been drafted in to help a stricken wild elephant fighting for its life in Karnataka after being rescued from a dam.

Locals discovered partially blind Sidda crying out in pain with a broken leg and infected wounds, stranded in the backwaters of the Manchanabele Dam bridging the Arkavathy River in Magadi, Ramanagara, back in September.

He sustained the injuries weeks earlier when he fell into a ditch beside the Savandurga forest, and had waded into the nearby water to use its natural buoyancy to support his fractured limb.

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Sidda the elephant, thought to be around 35 years old, was found stranded in a dam Magadi, Ramanagara, with a broken leg

For weeks, caring locals had been tending to the stricken bull, bringing him food, before rescue efforts began

After weeks spent treating the animal in the water, a committee of experts formed by the Karnataka Forest Department with help from charity Wildlife SOS carried out a grueling four-hour operation to pull the elephant onto the river banks.

Two trained elephants joined the rescue on October 21 to help calm terrified Sidda, whose story has touched animal lovers across India.

Since then, the elephant's condition has continued to deteriorate - despite a few signs of promise - and well-wishers have been flocking to his side, bringing food and prayers.

The Karnataka Forest Department later formed a committee of experts to decide what the best treatment for Sidda would be. It included Wildlife SOS veterinary experts

Now, 50 military officers are now on the site, after a request by former Army Chief and current Ministry of External Affairs minister, General V K Singh, in the face of growing pressure to help the elephant.

Under the command of Brig R K Sachdeva, troops are building a barrier around Sidda to alleviate stress caused by the crowds, as well as constructing a supportive structure to harness the animal and keep him lifted to allow better treatment.

Up until now, vets and wildlife specialists have been using a crane to lift Sidda, who is unable to stand; he is in pain, weak and eating little or no food. An abscess on his back has also become dangerously infected.

Sidda, who is adored by locals, did start to show promising signs of recovery when he was lifted from the dam but has since deteriorated and is unable to stand now

Sidda's prognosis has been described as "grave" with wildlife experts saying the animal is suffering, and questions have been asked about why euthanasia is not being considered as an option if the animal is unlikely to recover.

But strict rules governing wild animals in India mean that any decision on his welfare lay with the chief wildlife warden in the forest department with jurisdiction.

Geeta Seshamani, co-founder of Wildlife SOS, which has been working round-the-clock to help Sidda, said the case had highlighted the need for changes in wildlife conservation regulations.

He has been lying on his side for weeks and Wildlife SOS said he is clearly suffering

Injured Sidda's prognosis is described as "grave" and in recent weeks has only been able to stand with the help of a crane

Caring locals had been trying to help Sidda for weeks on their own after discovering him in the dam, where he spent more than a month.

And Geeta believes that earlier intervention could have given Sidda a better chance of survival and eventual recovery.

She said: "Wildlife SOS has been assisting with medical care and treatment of Sidda with the permission of the Karnataka Forest Department and Chief Wildlife Warden.

Reports claim that anything up to 50 locals a day are visiting Sidda and watching the veterinary experts work round-the-clock to save him

"Being a young tusker, he is extremely valuable for conservation and this incident highlights a need to change the way we look at wildlife conservation.

"Traditional conservationists do not advocate interventions and feel wild animals should be left to survive or perish as per the laws of nature.

"However, when we consider the shrinking numbers of bulls in the Asian elephant population and the value of a young bull like Sidda, perhaps timely intervention is something to have been considered earlier in the day."

Now expert military engineers are building a special structure to keep Sidda on his feet

Kartick Satyanarayan, also a co-founder of the charity, said: "The Wildlife SOS team is monitoring Sidda round the clock and doing all we can to help this poor elephant by providing him treatment and care.

"We hope and pray for his recovery. We have already invested substantial resources in providing treatment including sending a veterinarian with a portable digital x-ray machine by plane.”