COIMBATORE: Classes were suspended at a government primary school at Iyerpadi Estate in Valparai on Tuesday after a herd of wild elephants strayed near the campus.
The elephant herd was spotted near the school premises, around 11 am, triggering panic moments. The school headmaster immediately informed the Block Educational Officer, who then ordered a holiday in the interest of the students.
There were around 12 students, including those from the tribal community and migrant workers, when the elephant herd was spotted near the school premises. These elephants, which migrated to Valparai a few months ago, were on their way back to Kerala.
For nearly a decade, the elephants have been habituated to break open a ration shop in Iyerpadi to devour essentials meant for public distribution and also damage the noon meal centre attached to the primary school.
“However, after the ration shop was recently converted into an iron container facility, the elephants were unable to breach it. Therefore, they had been targeting the school’s noon meal centre alone, damaging the structure in search of food,” said a forest department staff.
As the noon meal centre was damaged by elephants the previous night, the teachers made arrangements to prepare a mid-day meal at the residence of a staff member. Food was served to the students before, and they were escorted home by school authorities. A team from the forest department has been deployed near the school to monitor the elephant movement and ensure the safety of the public.
In another wildlife-related incident, a tusker was found dead near the forest area at Pillur Dam near Coimbatore. Officials suspect the elephant died in a fight with another elephant; however, only a post-mortem will reveal the exact cause of death.