MADIKERI: Three foresters involved in an elephant chase mission were injured while carrying out the operation, as they were attacked by the matriarchal leader of the herd.
One sustained severe injuries, while two others suffered from minor ones.
The incident was reported at Engilageri village near Siddapura.
Over 15 wild elephants were camping inside a private estate owned by M Praveen Bopaiah. The forest department was alerted and they were chasing the elephants back to the forest.
However, the enraged matriarchal leader of the elephant herd attacked the foresters during this chase. Foresters, Murugan and Vinod were attacked by the elephant leader, and the estate owner Praveen tried to stop the attack. However, Murugan’s legs were severely injured. He is being treated at the District Hospital in Madikeri.
Praveen urged the forest department to capture and relocate the wild elephants that are in conflict with the humans.