Farmer, pregnant wife escape from wild elephant attack in Gudalur
According to the forest department, Suresh, a farmer from Puliamvayal spotted an elephant in close quarters when he stepped out of his house after hearing some unusual noise around 6 am.
File photo
CHENNAI: An ‘aware’ couple narrowly escaped from the fury of a wild elephant that rampaged their house in Gudalur on Friday.
According to the forest department, Suresh, a farmer from Puliamvayal spotted an elephant in close quarters when he stepped out of his house after hearing some unusual noise around 6 am.
Sensing trouble, the farmer along with his pregnant wife took to their heels to safety behind the house. After an initial chase, the elephant resorted to its antics of destroying the house. The valuables inside the house were damaged in the attack.
Meanwhile, the neighbours gathered to drive away the elephant by raising loud noise. This incident comes a day after a wild elephant targeted some houses in the Allurvayal area near Gudalur on Thursday night.
The villagers urged the forest department to take preventive measures like digging trenches and erecting solar fences to prevent the intrusion of wild elephants.
Similarly, a herd of eight elephants ventured out of Jawalagiri reserve forest into Ganganapalli village in Krishnagiri in the early morning hours. On receiving information, the forest department staff made efforts to guide the elephants back into the forest area through Gumlapuram.
The elephants are now camping in ‘Thailathoppu’ around two km from the forest area. As there are many herds of elephants in the Denkanikottai locality, the forest department has appealed to villagers in Denkanikottai to be cautious.