COIMBATORE: Animal lovers expressed concerns after seeing a viral video of a wild elephant consuming rice along with the plastic bag at Semmedu.
The animal took away a 25kg rice bag after damaging a grocery store in the village on Wednesday night and consumed it. Shocked villagers prayed for it to return to the wild, saying “Go back Samy, Go back Ganesha”.
A forest department officer said the animal went into the nearby forest on Thursday morning and that they are monitoring the animal. “We will know about his health once we track the animal,” the officer said.
Sources said the behaviour of elephants has changed drastically over the years as they are frequently returning to human habitations attracted by rice and cattle feed, despite being chased into the forest. A veterinarian said there is a high possibility of the plastic bag coming out along with dung. However, it may cause some digestion problem to the animal.