Cow falls into unused sump in Chennai, locals, police rescue

Residents and police came together to rescue a cow that had fallen into an unused sump on a vacant plot of land in Kilpauk’s Secretariat Colony on Tuesday (February 17, 2026).

A resident spotted the animal in the sump, hidden amidst the rubble of a demolished building, from his first-floor balcony and alerted neighbours who called the local G5 police station. Residents also dialled the fire and rescue services which dispatched a van from the nearby Kilpauk fire station.

The sump had been covered with flex boards that might have caved in when the cow stepped on it, a police officer said. It might have come to feed on shrubs growing on the plot, the resident said.

Martin, an auto-driver, said such open sumps are death traps and urged the police to immediately seal the pit.

A motley crowd of shopkeepers, auto-drivers, and schoolchildren that had gathered fed the cow banana leaves and sent down a ladder hoping that the animal would climb out.

Soon, police and personnel from the fire and rescue services joined the operation, using a rope to secure the neck and forelegs of the cow before yanking it out. They covered the sump with a concrete slab and asked locals to stay away from the area.

In the meantime, a hunt for the cow’s owner had begun, and while he could not be traced, the unhurt bovine sauntered away. It may have lost its way but would have found its home.