Wild elephant, sloth bear keep TN forest dept on tenterhooks
Following the incident, the forest department officials have appealed to the shopkeepers not to sell anything that attracts the elephant.
Wild elephant raids a shop in Coimbatore
COIMBATORE: A wild tusker frequenting the temple at Velliangiri Hills in Coimbatore outskirts over the one month has been keeping the forest department officials on tenterhooks.
It comes to raid shops selling eatables to devotees. During its visit on Sunday, the elephant targeted a shop and devoured food items kept for sale. The temple authorities then played out recorded music to scare it away.
Following the incident, the forest department officials have appealed to the shopkeepers not to sell anything that attracts the elephant. The elephant, aged around 30 years is also monitored for its movement.
In another incident in Sirumugai near Mettupalayam, an elephant broke open the doors of a house and took away a bunch of bananas kept inside.
In Kotagiri, a sloth bear broke into a noon meal centre located on the premises of Thinniyur Panchayat Union School in Periyar Nagar near ‘Thavittu Medu’ and devoured raw food items on Sunday night.
Last one month, officials said the bear had broken into the same noon meal centre six times to consume food items.
On receiving information, the forest department staff rushed to the spot and examined. Meanwhile, parents have urged officials to trap the bear by placing a cage and shift it elsewhere as school students are scared by its frequent visits.