People caught on cam pelting stones at jumbo in hill shrine

An elderly man and a few youth could be seen throwing stones at the lone tusker that was walking down the steps at the Anubhavi Subramaniar temple.

Though many took to their heels terrified on seeing the elephant, some among them tried to chase it away by pelting stones.

The video, shot by an unidentified person on a mobile phone, is doing rounds in social media calling for action against those who teased the elephant.

In the video, the furious jumbo moves forward charging the men as it gets hit by a stone, but then retreats into the forest.

The Forest Department identified the incident to have occurred at the Anubhavi Subramaniar temple in the outskirts. A search is on for the men who hurled stones at the animal.

Forest Department staff warned against teasing or harming the elephants as it may escalate the human-animal conflict.

A few months ago, two youngsters were caught on camera hurling stones at a wild elephant that entered a brick making-unit.

“If an elephant strays into a residential neighbourhood, the public should only inform the Forest Department and never indulge in such dangerous practices. We are investigating to determine when the incident happened and a search is on to nab the culprits,” said an officer.

The Anubhavi Subramaniar Temple is located in the foothills of the Western Ghats, which has a large population of elephants.