Elephant herd damages car at Anaikatty hills

Coimbatore: In yet another instance of man-animal conflict in the hilly regions here that is so often repeated every now and then, a traveller on Wednesday narrowly escaped getting caught in the midst of a herd of elephants.

Caught unawares in the middle of a thick forest area with no help at hand, the presence of mind and his swift response to wriggle out of the situation, saved the day for the man.

The incident happened near Dhoomanoor on the outskirts of the city on Wednesday.

According to sources, Selva Raj (58), native of Mettupalayam, had recently gone to neighbouring Kerala via Anaikatty and was returning to Mettupalayam on Wednesday morning.

While he was crossing Dhoomanoor junction, Selva Raj was confronted by a herd of four wild elephants on the road. He briefly panicked, as he noticed the four animals heading towards his car.

Quickly regaining himself, Selva Raj parked his car on the roadside and turned on the car’s headlights. Seeing the lights, the herd stopped moving forward, and remained at the same place, a few metres away from the car. Suddenly, one among the elephants came charging towards the car.

Seeing the elephant charging forward, Selva Raj jumped out of the car and started to run leaving the car in the middle of the road.

After running a few meters, Selva Raj with the help of another motorist coming that way, escaped from the spot.

After reaching Mangarai checkpost, Selva Raj informed the forest department staffs about what had happened.

Then again, along with a team of anti-poaching watchers, Selva Raj went back to the spot.

By this time, the elephant herd had moved away. Selva Raj was shocked to see his car damaged by the elephants.

The incident had triggered panic among the motorists passing the stretch in Anaikatty hills.