THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Three wild elephants strayed into the hairpin bends en route to Ponmudi in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday evening, causing concern among the people. Fortunately, the jumbos, including a calf, retreated into the forest in the wee hours of Saturday after devouring the leaves and flesh inside the bark of Caryota urens, a type of palm tree locally known as ‘Aana Pana’.
According to forest officials, the family of elephants ventured into the fourth hairpin curve to consume the leaves and flesh of the tree. Despite the authorities bursting firecrackers, the elephants returned to the woods only after eating the remaining parts of the tree bark which fell on the road.
“During the wee hours of Saturday, the jumbos uprooted yet another tree. They returned back to the forest only after eating the whole bark of the tree,” said a forest official. Ponmudi grama panchayat member R Radhamani told TNIE that the elephants were calm and did not cause any chaos.
Though the straying of elephants into the hairpin curves is a rare sight in the Ponmudi forest, incidents of leopards venturing into the town have been on the rise. Last month, in three separate incidents, leopards, including a carcass of a 4.5-month-old cub, were spotted at Peppara Pattankulichapara, in front of the Ponmudi police station, and also near the local UP school.
“The presence of leopards in the area is a matter of concern. As some wild cats were sighted near the Ponmudi UP school which is situated adjacent to the forest, we are planning to erect fencing around the institution taking the safety of the students into consideration,” said Radhamani.
K Raveendran, former director of Museum and Zoo, Thiruvananthapuram, and who does the landscaping for the KTDC property in Ponmudi, told TNIE that many local residents foster indie dogs as pets in the region. He says that the presence of a large number of such dogs has prompted the leopards to come in search of their prey.
‘Did not cause chaos’
Ponmudi grama panchayat member R Radhamani told TNIE that the elephants were calm and did not cause any chaos.