KRISHNAGIRI: A 65-year-old man was trampled to death by a wild elephant near Jawalagiri on Thursday morning.
The deceased has been identified as P Siddhalingappa, a resident of Mookandam village. He came under attack while grazing cattle.
“He was attacked and trampled to death by an elephant that entered the Ulibenda reserved forest in Jawalagiri forest range from the nearby reserve forest,” said Jawalagiri forest ranger K Arivalagan.
“The department staff reached the spot and sent Siddhalingappa’s body to Denkanikottai government hospital for autopsy. A compensation cheque worth Rs 50,000 was given to the kin of the deceased and the remaining Rs 9.50 lakh will be given to them after they submit the necessary documents,” Arivalagan added.
The department has already held various awareness programmes to villagers close to the forest. Also, people living at Madakkal, Sulakunta, Mookandam, and other villages were warned about elephant movement, the officer said.