HASSAN: A tusker, which has strayed into Belur and Hassan taluks migrating from the Bhadra Tiger Reserve in Chikkamagaluru and has been staying here for the last one month, claimed its second victim in Hassan on Wednesday at the Seegegudda forest area close to Hassan town.
The victim, Anne Gowda (55), a forest watcher, was trampled to death by the tusker when he and his colleagues were following footmarks of the tusker on Wednesday. The same tusker killed a woman in Belur taluk about a month ago.
The rogue elephant was sighted in the Seegegudda forest area around 3 am on Wednesday and forest personnel were trying to drive it away from the area. Around 8 am, forest personnel put off the operation planning to resume it at 3 pm.
As Anne Gowda and his colleagues were following the footmarks of the elephant, it arrived at the spot from nowhere and attacked the forest team. While others managed escape, Anne Gowda could not and was trampled to death by the male elephant.
Deputy Conservator of Forest Sivaram Babu told Deccan Chronicle that he will seek the permission of his higher officials in Bengaluru to capture the tusker.
