Coimbatore: A herd of six wild elephants were spotted taking a stroll in a residential area in Kathirnayakkan Palayam near Thudiyalur, causing panic among residents in the area.
Coimbatore: A herd of six wild elephants were spotted taking a stroll in a residential area in Kathirnayakkan Palayam near Thudiyalur, causing panic among residents in the area.
In the residential area at Phase 3-Lakshmi Nagar in Kathirnayakkan Palayam near Thudiyalur, a herd of six wild elephants were seen strolling at midnight. CCTV footage shows street dogs in the area barking at the elephants. The footage also shows an adult male elephant chasing the dogs away and joining its herd in which there were two calves as well.
Residents who heard the dogs and came out to look for the source of disturbance became terrified after seeing the herd of elephants walking casually through their residential area. The Perianaickenpalayam forest department was informed immediately and forest officials rushed to the neighbourhood to chase the elephants back into the forest, at midnight.
Residents in the area believe that the elephants had ventured into the human settlements which were just 5 km away from the mountains, in search of food. They urged the forest department to provide the elephants with enough food, so that they would not seek to wander away from their mountain terrain in search of food. The residents also urged the forest department to take immediate action to set up moats in the borders of forests to prevent any human casualty.