COIMBATORE: The makhna elephant which came out of the Top Slip forest reached the outskirts of Coimbatore city on Wednesday. After taking a nap at Govindanur village near Pollachi on Tuesday evening, the animal entered Palanigoundanur in Madukkarai forest range, which comes under the Coimbatore forest division, at 3 am on Wednesday. Forest department staff continue to monitor the animal’s movements.
The animal travelled through Sokkanur, Valukkuparai, Nachipalayam, Arisipalayam, Palathurai, Kurumbapalayam, Anbu Nagar, Pillaiyarpuram, Sugunapuram Karadu and near Krishna Engineering College in Govindanur.
The video of the animal entering the street after breaking the compound wall of a house in PK Pudur in Kuniyamuthur went viral on social media. K Palanisamy (80) from Madukkarai got injured when the elephant pushed him away with its trunk. The incident happened animal around 7 am when the animal crossed the Salem-Cochin bypass near a petrol bunk. The animal also damaged a vehicle used by the forest staff of Karadimadai.
Besides trying to divert the animal into the forest, managing the crowd is proving to be a challenge for forest department staff from Madukkarai, Coimbatore, Boluampatti and Periyanacikenpalayam ranges. A police team, led by Deputy Commissioner G Chandeesh helped the forest staff in controlling the crowd.
District Forest Officer TK Ashok Kumar said, “The elephant was driven towards forests, but it is now moving along the farmlands and is camping near residential areas. Forest Veterinary officer A Sukumar is also tracking the animal to provide treatment in case it falls sick.” The animal has travelled over 80 km from Varagaliyar, where it was released on February 6. Sources said a request for tranquilising the animal was made by the forest staff.