COIMBATORE: A 77-year-old woman was trampled to death by a wild elephant in front of her neighbour’s house near Sholayar Dam in Valparai on Thursday. The deceased was T Mary.
Her neighbour, D Deivanai (75), resided on the left bank of the Sholayar Dam in the Manombolly range of the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR). Mary stayed in her house that night.
Forest sources say Mary saw the elephant extending its trunk into the kitchen through the window. In panic she came out of the house and fell at the feet of the elephant. The animal trampled her and killed her on the spot.
Meanwhile, Deivanai came out and fell down in fear, thus sustaining injuries. The elephant soon left the place.
“We are sure the elephant trampled Mary to death. We are tracing whether it was a male or female one that attacked her. Except for the unfortunate death of Mary and partial damages to Deivanai’s kitchen, no other damages occurred,” said a forest range official.
“We suspect that the wild elephant might have visited the house after being attracted by the smell of rice or fruits. We will deploy staff on Thursday night to prevent entry of animals into human habitations,” he added.
Deivanai has been admitted to the Coimbatore Medical college hospital.