Two Anti Poaching Watchers (APW) working with the Coimbatore Division of the Tamil Nadu Forest Department sustained injuries after a wild elephant attacked them near P.K. Pudhur in Coimbatore here on Wednesday.
According to sources, the wild elephant, possibly a juvenile tusker that had been venturing out of the Madukkarai Reserve for the past one week had ventured out once again on Wednesday night. It had roamed near farmlands near Arivoli Nagar, Kurumbapalayam, P.K. Pudhur, Dharmalingeswarar Temple, Army Camp and most of the areas around Madukkarai in recent times.
Forest Department personnel were involved in chasing the animal back into the reserve on Wednesday, when two men including Karthikeyan and Vijayakumar were injured.
While Vijayakumar suffered minor injuries in the torso, Karthikeyan suffered severe injuries near the ribs and both the men were immediately rushed to the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH).
Due to the severity of the injury, Karthikeyan was later shifted to the Kovai Medical Centre and Hospital (KMCH). He had broken bones after the incident.
Since the animal is venturing frequently outside the reserve, it has been proposed to drive the elephant into deep jungle towards Chadivayal from Madukkarai area. APWs have been deployed for the operation.