COIMBATORE: After a five-hour-long exercise, forest staff managed to chase away two male wild elephants that entered Kuppepalayam village near Devarayapuram, which falls under Boluvampatti forest range on Monday night.
Around 9 pm, the elephants entered a brick kiln, and the forest staff managed to chase them away into Adhinarayanan temple forest area near Devarayapuram only around 2.30 am on Tuesday.
"Both male elephants are new to the range and despite bursting crackers, they refuse to go to the forest areas. During their presence in the settlement, they damaged banana plantations near Kuppepalayam village," Boluvampatti Forest Range Officer Arokiyasamy said.
We have been assessing the damages caused by the animals, the official said and added that a total of three teams (each consisting five to six frontline staff) are keeping a watch to ensure no elephant enters the residential areas.
Similarly, a tusker was sighted near a petrol bunk on Mettupalayam-Coonoor Road around 10.30 pm on Monday and the frontline staff managed to send it inside the Odanthurai reserve forest around 5 am on Tuesday.
"The animal is being monitored as it is trying to access agriculture lands frequently," said the forest source.