Woman critically injured in elephant attack in Coimbatore
The attack happened when the forest department was attempting to drive the elephant back into the forest area after it strayed into a nearby residential neighbourhood.
Video grab of an elephant charging at a car on Coonoor-Mettupalayam National Highway
COIMBATORE: In continuing instances of human-elephant negative interactions, a 51-year-old woman was attacked by a wild elephant near Coimbatore on Thursday morning.
According to the forest department, Rathna (51), wife of Jayabalan from Indira Colony near Narasipuram in Boluvampatti Forest Range, had gone to attend nature's call near a thicket, when a wild elephant emerged and attacked her.
As she fainted, the elephant moved away from the spot. On receiving information from villagers, a team of forest department staff rushed to the spot and sent the woman to Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) for treatment.
The attack happened when the forest department was attempting to drive the elephant back into the forest area after it strayed into a nearby residential neighbourhood.
While retreating into the forest area, the elephant charged at the woman.
In back-to-back similar incidents, elephant attacks had claimed the lives of two persons in the Nilgiris and Erode within a week.
On July 22, a 65-year-old woman was trampled to death by a wild elephant near her house in Pandalur, resulting in a protest by TANTEA estate workers.
A day ago, on the night of July 20, a 58-year-old farmer was killed in an elephant attack at Kadambur in Erode, when she was coming home from work.
Meanwhile, the forest department warned tourists against stopping their vehicles to take photographs of a wild elephant camping on the Coonoor-Mettupalayam National Highway to feast on jackfruits from trees found in abundance in the area.
The advisory comes after the elephant attempted to chase some tourists, who stopped their car to take video of the animal.
