COIMBATORE: Wild elephants strayed into human settlements in the Nilgiris and Coimbatore districts, raiding a ration shop in Masinagudi and damaging crops near Mettupalayam, prompting renewed concerns over increasing human-elephant conflict along forest fringes.
In the Nilgiris, a wild elephant broke into a PDS outlet at Masinagudi on Wednesday night and consumed rice and other essential commodities stocked for distribution.
The elephant reportedly forced open the shop's iron shutters before pulling out sacks of rice and other supplies with its trunk. Residents alerted forest department personnel, who rushed to the spot and attempted to drive the animal away.
However, the elephant remained near the shop and continued feeding on the ration rice. Officials eventually used a vehicle-mounted siren to guide the animal back towards the forest.
Residents said the ration shop had been repeatedly targeted by elephants and urged authorities to install a solar-powered electric fence around the facility to prevent future incursions.
In a separate incident near Mettupalayam, a wild elephant known locally as 'Baahubali' entered a farm at Jallimedu on Wednesday night and destroyed banana crops before being driven back into the forest after a five-hour operation.
The elephant entered the agricultural area through nearby settlements and damaged several banana plants in a farm owned by a resident. Acting on information, a team led by Forest Range Officer S Sasikumar launched an operation to prevent the elephant from moving deeper into inhabited areas.
Forest personnel, assisted by residents, monitored the animal's movement to steer it back towards the forest. After nearly five hours of sustained efforts, the elephant was successfully driven away from residential and agricultural areas in the early hours of Thursday. It eventually crossed the Mettupalayam–Ooty Road and entered the reserve forest near Odanthurai, officials said.
Forest authorities said they would continue to monitor the elephant's movement and advised residents living near forest fringes to remain vigilant and promptly report any wildlife intrusion.