Locals living in the foothills of Marudhamalai live in constant fear of encountering elephants.
Coimbatore: Wild elephants rampaged a house in the VCK Nagar area of Marudhamalai in Coimbatore and caused extensive damage to banana and sugarcane crops in the Onapalayam area.
Wild elephants which usually stray to the foothills of the Western Ghats and Marudhamalai in Coimbatore, often pass through areas including VCK Nagar and Indira Nagar to return to the forest. Six elephants that tramped down the mountain with their calves at 7 pm last night, reportedly entered VCK Nagar area and broke the compound wall of Pandiyammal's (65) house and damaged her possessions.
While Pandiyammal and her grandson Ravi Sundar usually reside in the house, Pandiyammal had fortunately gone to visit her relative’s house in Usilampatti, Madurai district last week and Ravi Sunder had gone to visit his college friend's house on Tuesday night.
The herd of wild elephants then rampaged from V.C.K Nagar to Indira Nagar and Ponnaiyarajapuram and camped at the elephant pond in the forest near the Kottai Mariamman Temple. Later, the elephants entered the farm of Venugopal and Malarkodi, a couple in the Onapalayam area, and damaged crops such as banana and sugarcane. Much later, the herd returned to the forest. Locals living in the foothills of Marudhamalai live in constant fear of encountering elephants.
