Tamil Nadu: Elderly woman dies in Valparai elephant attack
The elephant involved in the attack was wandering around near the residential settlement over the last two days.
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COIMBATORE: An elderly woman died and another woman was injured in an elephant attack in Valparai early Thursday morning.
According to the forest department, Mary (77) and Deivanai (75), were asleep in their house in Sholayar Nagar when a wild elephant broke open their kitchen doors past midnight.
It then searched for food with its trunk. The two elderly women, who were shocked at the sight of an elephant, opened the door and attempted to run into a neighbouring house.
However, the elephant began to chase the two women, and they both fell off during their bid to escape. The elephant gored Mary with its tusks and threw her away into a nearby thicket. She succumbed to injuries on the spot. The other woman managed to escape with injuries.
On receiving information, the Sheikalmudi police and forest department staff from Manombolly Range arrived and sent the body of the deceased for a post-mortem at Valparai Government Hospital. The injured woman has been admitted to Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) for treatment.
Even though several herds of elephants have migrated from Valparai towards Kerala, some elephants were still camping to consume jackfruits from trees in estates. The elephant involved in the attack was wandering around near the residential settlement over the last two days.
Tahsildar Mohan Babu and Forest Range Officer of Manombolly Range Giridharan visited the spot and assured to take preventive measures.