COIMBATORE: As many as seven Forest department staff had a miraculous escape as a wild tusker toppled their jeep, smashed the headlights of the vehicle near Mangarai check post at Anaikatti near Coimbatore on Friday night. Following an alert that a herd of elephants was frequenting the Veerapandipirivu area near Mangarai check post, the Forest guards and anti-poaching watchers went to the spot around 12 midnight on Friday.
Local villagers had informed the Forest department that three wild tuskers were frequently visiting a brick chamber near Veerapandipirivu continuously for the last few days. The herd had emptied a 500-litre water tank, which was stored for manufacturing bricks. The elephants had also chased the workers in the brick chamber. Acting on the alert, the Forest guard Balasubramani 42, along with anti-poaching watchers, Rangasamy 40, Rajendran 37, Marimuthu 28, Ganesh 24, Parthiban 26, Srivelu 27, went to the chamber around 12 midnight.
The forest staff spotted three elephants standing at the entrance of the chamber. Immediately, the jeep driver turned on the headlights and kept honking. Immediately, two elephants quickly retreated inside the forest, but another tusker refused to budge from the spot.
As the jeep driver revved up the engine and flashed the headlights, the tusker furiously charged towards the jeep. The elephant broke the jeep headlights and toppled the vehicles. The forest department staff quietly stayed inside the capsized jeep, without making a noise. Meanwhile, the workers at the brick kiln came rushing with fire torches and chased away the angry tusker.
The forest staff had a lucky escape as the elephant just tore up the tarpaulin cover over the jeep, smashed the headlights, toppled the vehicle and left without trampling the staff. The district Forest officer-in-charge of Coimbatore division, A. Periyasamy told the DC, “the elephant herd frequently visits the chamber for water as the Forest department had stopped filling water in the tanks inside the forest area, because of the monsoon rains. The elephant just charged towards the jeep and damaged the headlight and tore up the tarpaulin covered on the roof on the jeep.”
