COIMBATORE: A 70-year-old man was trampled to death by a tusker at Aarnattukadu village near Thuvaipathy tribal settlement in Anaikatti, 100 metres from Tamil Nadu-Kerala border, on Thursday morning. The incident happened around 11.30 am when K Kaarai went out to relieve himself.
According to sources, after hearing Kaarai’s cries, a person who was grazing goat informed the forest department. A team led by the Forest Range Officer of Coimbatore R Arunkumar visited the spot and confirmed the incident using the elephant’s footprint.
The tusker entered Tamil Nadu after Kerala forest department staff drove the animal back after it allegedly roamed near the residential area in Kerala. Sources further said, usually, the Kerala forest department would alert the Tamil Nadu staff, but this time, they failed to do so. Forest department staff said, during the investigation, it was found that despite warnings by the locals, Kaarai ventured into the dense area to take a bath.
Kerala forest officials, however, refuted the allegations. Mannarkad DFO M K Surjith said “We do not drive the elephants back into Tamil Nadu from Kerala purposefully. The tusker was within the Tamil Nadu forest limit on Wednesday and Thursday. As per our ground level staff report, locals near Thuvaipathy tried to chase the tusker inside the forest which resulted in the untoward incident.”
‘Seven deaths so far’
According to forest sources, a total of seven persons have been killed in the Coimbatore forest division so far this year. Out of seven deaths, two each were reported in Coimbatore and Boluvampatty forest range, one each in in Madukkari, Sirumugai and Karamadai forest ranges. All the victims were male and except for one victim, all others were aged between 60 and 70 years.