Wild elephant, calf enter residential area near Coimbatore

Female elephant and calf cause panic in Coimbatore residential area, Forest Department urges caution and cooperation from residents.

A female elephant and its calf entered a thickly populated residential area near Coimbatore on Wednesday night, leaving residents in panic.

Forest Department staff said that the cow elephant and its calf entered Thiruvalluvar Nagar at Kanuvai. The mother-calf-duo attempted to break open the gate of a house and chased some of the residents.

Forest officials said that the two elephants had previously damaged houses, provision stores and ration shops in Coimbatore, Boluvampatti and Madukkarai forest range limits. They also damaged to crops and developed a taste for cattle feed.

“The two elephants have been habituated to eating easily available foods like rice, cattle feed and crops. Though they were in Kerala limits for a brief period, they returned to Coimbatore Forest Division limits. Chasing them from residential areas without creating panic is a challenge,” said an official.

The field staff drove them back from Thiruvallur Nagar on Wednesday night and visited the place on Thursday morning. They appealed to the residents in a public addressing system to avoid venturing out at night. Residents have been requested to alert the Department when there is a movement of elephants.