Elephant attacks cow to death in Erode; farmers protest

COIMBATORE: Farmers besieged the forest department office in Sathyamangalam in Erode and protested with the carcass of a cow killed in an elephant attack on Friday. According to the forest department, Nagaraj, 43, from Alampalayam village in the foothills near the forest area had milked his three cows and was bound home in the morning. “Then a wild elephant came charging and attacked one of the cows with its tusks and killed it on the spot. The elephant then retreated into the forest area,” said an official. Shocked on seeing the incident, Nagaraj informed other farmers who gathered at the spot. They took the carcass of the animal to the district forest office in Sathyamangalam and laid it out in front of the office in protest. Soon, the officials of the forest department held talks with the protesting farmers and assured them to provide them with a compensation of Rs 30,000 within ten days. Therefore, the protesting farmers withdrew from the protest and left with the carcass of the animal. After a post-mortem by veterinarians, the carcass of the animal was buried in the farm owned by the farmer.