COIMBATORE: Panic gripped students staged a protest in front of the forest range office in Gudalur following a narrow escape from being attacked by a wild elephant, while going to school on Friday morning.
Students from Kodamoola tribal settlement in Gudalur Municipality take an arduous walk for around two kilometres to reach the arterial road and proceed thereafter by buses to schools located in Gudalur, Thorapalli and Kargudi areas.
“While the students were walking from their tribal settlement, a lone elephant came charging at them. They took to their heels, while some got injured in a fall. On hearing the loud cries of students, the villagers rushed to their rescue and chased away the elephant,” said an official.
Following this, the students accompanied by villagers staged a sit-in protest in front of the forest range office. A team of officials including Kommu Omkaram, District Forest Officer (DFO) of Gudalur Forest Division, Gudalur Tahsildar S Rajeswari and police officials held talks with the protesting students.
The students withdrew their protest after officials assured to arrange vehicles for safe transportation of students and enhance vigil to prevent intrusion of elephants into their residential settlement.
In Coonoor, an anti-poaching watcher was injured as he fell into a pit after being attacked by an elephant with its trunk during a chasing operation on Thursday night. While a team of forest department was involved in driving away the elephant herd that strayed near the road, the animals began to chase the staff.
While running to safety, Yogeshwaran, an anti-poaching staff member, was attacked by an elephant. After the elephant herd retreated into the forest area, the other staff rushed him to Ooty Government Hospital for treatment.