COIMBATORE: A lone tusker has been keeping the Coimbatore forest officials on their toes, as the wild animal entered Coimbatore-Siruvani main road near Perur at around 7 am on Sunday, spreading panic among motorists.
The elephant drew a large crowd, and the Forest Department and police had a tough time managing them.
A team of more than 30 officials have since been engaged in diverting the jumbo back into the forest. However, the tusker refused to leave and continued to roam within city limits.
The tusker, while roaming around Thondamuthur, Vedapatti and Perur areas, turned aggressive after noticing motorists and locals taking photos.
It also attacked one Maruthamuthu (65), a resident of Selvapuram. Forest Department staff shifted him to the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital for treatment.
Notably, this is the second person the tusker has tossed, since attacking an 70-year-old woman some days ago at Karadimadai village.
"Despite warnings issued to motorists and the public to avoid nearing the tusker, they refuse listen to us and frequently attempt to take selfies with the elephant. This issue adds to our headache as the animal is also not cooperating with us, as it refuses to go back into forest cover. Fortunately, damages caused has remained minimal so far," an official said.
Forest officials hope to turn the elephant back into the forest before Sunday night, and if that does not happen, they seek to tranquilize the tusker.
