In yet another case of man-animal conflict reported in the district, three wild elephants strayed into the Pachappalli area near Kovai Pudur early on Monday morning, wreaking havoc and damaging houses. The stray herd reportedly stormed into the compound of a house owned by a milk man, Ramasami, and destroyed the banana plants there.
The jumbos also gobbled up feed kept for cattle and drank water in a tank at the house. While the residents watched from the safety of their four walls, the pachyderms went on to damage nearby houses. An elderly couple, Ayya Sami and Kaliammal, were asleep when the herd stormed to their house and brought down the roof. The frightened couple ran out, only to be confronted by more of the marauding herd, before eventually moving to safety. Tension and prevailed as the elephants continued their rampage for hours, till a local resident burst crackers and chased out the herd. Later, the harried residents claimed that the forest officials did not come to their rescue, despite the repeated phone calls. The absence of street lights could have caused the herd to stray into the area, they said, while urging the government to take measures to safeguard them against such attacks in the future.