COIMBATORE: A 54-year-old tribal man was trampled to death and two others were injured in a wild elephant attack at Nedunkundru settlement near Valparai in the Anaimalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) on Wednesday night.
The deceased has been identified as R Ravi and the injured are K Vijayan (52) and N Ramachandran (37) — all three being residents of Nedunkundru settlement which is part of the Kavarkal forest beat of the Valparai forest range.
The incident happened when the three were returning to their house at 9.15pm after visiting Valparai where they had sold their produce.
Ravi’s body was taken to the Valparai government hospital where a postmortem was performed and the body was handed over to his relatives on Thursday afternoon.
The injured are undergoing treatment at the Valparai government hospital.
The Nedunkundru settlement itself is located inside the reserve forest. The residents usually manage to reach their houses by avoiding the elephant paths. However, on Wednesday night, the trio allegedly took a short cut through a forest road and encountered the elephant.
Valparai forest range officer G Venkatesh handed over initial compensation of Rs 50,000 to Ravi’s wife as per the Tamil Nadu government compensation for victims of wildlife attack. The remaining Rs 9.5 lakh will be given after the family members submit the death certificate and other documents.
The forest officials have also handed over an immediate relief fund of Rs 5,000 to Vijayan and Ramachandran for their treatment. They have head injuries as well as bruises on the legs, sustained during their attempt to escape from the attack.
“We have formed a 12-member team to monitor the elephant and to drive it back to the forest if it comes again to the settlement. After attacking Ravi, the animal did not move inside. Upon receiving information our team arrived and drove away the animal. We have also instructed the tribal residents not to come out of houses when it is dark. In any emergency, they have been instructed to hold torch lights and avoid entering elephant pathways,” said the official.