COIMBATORE : Two persons were killed by elephants that emerged from the forest at different locations in the Nilgiris on Friday morning. Forest department officials said the elephants went into the forest on their own.
In the first incident at Moyar in Masinagudi, C Nagaraj (51), a daily wage labourer was attacked by a lone tusker around 4.30 am. He died on the spot.
The second incident was reported in Gudalur forest range. Madhev (50) of Devan Estate near Gudalur Town, who was working in the estate, was walking near his house around 8 am, when he was attacked by an elephant that had separated from a herd.
N Mohanraj, a conservationist from Nilgiris, said, “Gudalur is a conflict zone between humans and animals, and land classification should be followed strictly. Until this is done, such incidents cannot be prevented. Forest land has been occupied by many private players. Compared to Gudalur, human death due to elephant attack is less in Masinagudi as the settlers are tribals.”