COIMBATORE: A tusker ransacked a pooja shop at Poondi Sivan temple in Velliangiri foothill and created panic among the devotees and other shopkeepers on Wednesday evening.
Locals said that elephants continue to visit and damage coconuts and bananas that are kept for sales for devotees.
As a result, the forest department try to chase away the animal by bursting crackers inside the forest. Shopkeepers and devotees urged the forest department to set up a vigil round the clock as the animal repeatedly visits the area during daytime.
“After noticing the tusker at 3 pm, I ran away, leaving my shop. It consumed bananas and coconuts and also damaged the wooden infrastructure inside the shop. After the forest department burst crackers, wildlife activists warned them for using this method to scare the elephants,” a shop owner said.
“The animal only damaged the shop. The devotees are safe. The elephant did not spend more than 15 minutes, and we have diverted the animal carefully,” an official from the forest department said. “We will issue compensation to the shop owner once he applies for it. We will also monitor the wild elephant’s movement as our checkpost at Mullangadu is nearby,” said the official.
Meanwhile, the forest department is investigating the movement of a leopard close to the residential area in Kanuvai. A picture of a leopard sitting over a rock is being circulated on social media, saying the animal is roaming near Kanuvai.