COIMBATORE: A wild elephant calf in search of water and food damaged a computer and bureau etc kept at the Panchayat union primary school store room at Pachamalai near Valparai in Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) in the wee hours of Wednesday.
Seven elephants got separated from a herd of 27 elephants and entered Pachamalai from Puthuthottam at 1 a.m. on Wednesday. While a herd of six elephants stood outside, a calf broke the door entered the store room and ransacked it.
According to Valparai forest range officer G Venkatesh “A herd of 27 elephants camped at Puthuthottam due to the availability of fodder and water. However, in the wee hours on Wednesday, seven elephants separated and entered Pachamalai instead of proceeding towards Akkamalai forest which is their regular route. Two other herds also started separating to other places.”
“Our staff were tracking these animals to prevent them from entering human habitations. However, we managed to track the seven elephants only after they damaged the school room. No human being was hurt in the incident and the school functioned as usual on Wednesday,” he added.
Meanwhile, four camera traps were placed in Sirukundra lower estate to monitor the movement of a leopard after the animal attacked a seven-year-old migrant boy on Monday. A team led by Venkatesh has given awareness to the migrant workers to avoid standing and walking near the bushes. “We will regularly monitor the movement of leopards and ensure no people are hurt in leopard attacks,” said Venkatesh.