COIMBATORE: Even as the Forest Department has just received the approval to capture the wild elephant who has been the cause of trouble at Arthanaripalayam near Pollachi, a 60-year-old man lost his life in an attack by the jumbo on Saturday night. While a 55-year-old woman was also attacked on Sunday morning, she escaped with a few injuries.
The man has been identified as Radhakrishnan of Arthanaripalayam. He was attacked when he was guarding his crops at 10.45 pm on Saturday. The woman was attacked when she was returning home at Nochipallam around 5.45 am on Sunday.
When news of the two incidents spread, a large number of villagers gathered to stage a protest and demanded that the jumbo be captured immediately. Besides killing four persons over the years, he has left seven -- including two forest staff -- injured in the past five months. He has also been raiding crops and has damaged banana and coconut plantations in Arthanaripalayam and its surroundings, they claimed, adding that they constantly live in fear of the jumbo.
While the Forest Department has obtained government permission to capture the tusker, the officials of Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) have decided to engage kumkis Kaleem and Paari from Kozhikamuthi camp in the task. The operation might be carried out on Monday or Tuesday morning.
Meanwhile, veterinarians Sugumar, N S Manokaran and Kalaivanan are monitoring the animal.
ATR Deputy Director A S Marimuthu said that they were assessing the situation and will tranquilise the jumbo when has been isolated. The tranquilising will be done without hurting him and will be shifted to the Ulanthy forest range near Topslip, Marimuthu added.
"We ask people to not stay in houses as there is a high chance that the jumbo might damage it in search of rice and cattle feed," he cautioned.