Elephant overturns forest dept vehicle, one ADS staff injured

COIMBATORE: A member of the Anti-Depredation Squad (ADS) in the forest department was injured in an attack by a wild elephant on Wednesday night.

A team of one watcher and four ADS were monitoring a tusker, known as PT 12 at Pandalur Range when the incident happened.

“When the elephant was nearing a house, our staff tried to guide the animal towards the forest. Suddenly, the elephant turned towards the staff in the vehicle. As it attacked, the vehicle turned upside down,” said N Venkatesh Prabhu, Divisional Forest Officer (Gudalur).

After the elephant left the spot, the villagers rescued the staff by helping them to come out of the vehicle.

Fortunately, the forest department staff, who were inside escaped narrowly with one ADS staff alone sustaining an injury to his shoulder. He was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital for first aid and then to Sultan Bathery in Wayanad for further treatment. This elephant is being continuously monitored by a patrolling team,” the official added.

In the last two months, three vehicles of the forest department were targeted by two different tuskers. “Last attack on the forest department vehicle was by an elephant known as CT 16,” Prabhu said.

Meanwhile, villagers in Gudalur broke into an argument with forest department officials after a lone elephant destroyed farms, sheds and damaged water tanks in tribal hamlets.