NILGIRIS: Three members of a family, including a five-year-old girl, had a miraculous escape as a wild elephant attacked their car at the 31st hairpin bend at Geddai near Manjoor on Saturday afternoon.
The animal blocked the car owned by Deepak, a resident of Kundha Bridge near Manjoor, when he was travelling along with his wife and daughter.
The single tusker placed one of its legs over the bonnet and subsequently damaged the windshield. Immediately, it turned around and lifted the car damaging the right rear door. The tusk pierced the door but Deepak’s wife and daughter who were in the rear seat were unharmed.
“We were shocked due to the aggressive behavior of the elephant. I pacified my daughter and wife as they screamed. The entire attack happened within 10 minutes,” said Deepak.
He estimated Rs 75,000 expenditure to repair the car as the windshield, rear window, and back door were severely damaged.
“After the animal left far away from Kethai towards Manjoor Road, we approached the nearby forest department office and conveyed the matter. There was no vehicle movement when the animal damaged our vehicle,” he added.
The forest department has stepped up vigil on the road.
“Since the Kethai to Manjoor road witnesses frequent movements of wild elephants, we usually instruct motorists to be cautious. In this incident, the car approached very close to the animal at the curve, which could have triggered the animal to behave aggressively,” said a forest department official of the Kundha range.