2 kumkis deployed to stop crop raiding jumbo

COIMBATORE: A day after an elderly farmer was trampled to death by a wild elephant in Thalavady in Sathyamangalam, the Forest Department has deployed two kumkis to prevent the crop raiding jumbo from straying out of the forest area.

On Wednesday, Mallappa (70), was attacked by the wild elephant, when he tried to chase it away from damaging the plantain crops in his farm in Dharmapuram.

This incident triggered protests by villagers, who sought the Forest Department to take measures to control elephant intrusions. Two kumkis named Chinnathambi and Rajavardhan from Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) have been brought to Thalavady to prevent the elephant from coming out of the forest cover.

A team of Forest Department staff, including Anti Depredation Squad and Anti Poaching Watchers have stepped up vigil to keep track of the wild tusker.

In another wild life related incident, the front line staff of the Forest Department noticed the carcass of a highly putrefied female elephant, aged around 22 years in the Segur forest area in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR).

“Both its tushes remained intact. A post mortem was carried out on Thursday, but the cause of death could not be ascertained as the carcass is highly decomposed. The DNA samples have been collected for a forensic examination,” said an official.

Similarly, a cage has been placed along the roadside in Kottanalli village in Kotagiri in The Nilgiris on Thursday to capture a sloth bear that has been frequenting the residential areas. The Forest Department jumped into action after the bear broke into a grocery shop twice recently to consume food items. It led to protests by villagers on Wednesday.