Jumbo herd on ‘village visit’ triggers panic among residents

The incident occurred around 4:30 am on Friday when the herd visited the Sincona Estate bus stop. It was reported that a herd of over 20 elephants were camping in the tea estates abutting the forest cover in the hills over the last few days.

The elephant reportedly damaged a grocery shop, which was owned by former councillor Sudhakar, near the bus stop. “A young elephant moved into the shop and devoured eatables stocked for sale. As the shop is located in the front portion of the house, Sudhakar, who was sleeping inside, woke up and fled further inside,” said a Forest department staff. 

Finally, the elephant left the shop and joined its herd, which then damaged a nearby tea shop while looking for food. By then, a team of Forest department staff had arrived and they chased away the elephants. Thereafter, the jumbos retreated into the forest cover through a residential neighbourhood, further triggering panic among the locals there. 

A few days ago, a group of elephants from the same herd had damaged a ration shop and devoured a huge quantity of food stocks in Nallamudi. Another group of elephants strayed into the Bazaar area and damaged a grocery shop and a church. 

The Forest department has cautioned the public to avoid venturing out in the dark to prevent encounters with elephants. The forest department has also barred tourists from visiting Nallamudi viewpoint to prevent such conflicts. 

A four-year-old jumbo from Kozhikkamuthy elephant camp in Top Slip is being moved to Vandalur Zoo in Chennai. It left for Chennai on a lorry on Friday.

Rohini, the elephant, was brought to Top Slip when it was just one-month-old after it was abandoned by its mother in Sathyamangalam forest reserve. The jumbo remained weak and had wounds all over its body. However, it recovered under the due care of its mahout Arumugam. 

The Forest department staff said that another elephant from Vandalur Zoo is being brought to Top Slip to replace Rohini. There are about 23 elephants in the care of the Forest department at Kozhikkamuthy elephant camp.