Panic reigned among Gudalur residents as an elephant entered the town early on Saturday. However, no injuries were reported, and the animal was driven safely back into the forests, said Forest Department officials.
Footage captured by CCTV cameras and residents on their mobile phones showed the elephant chasing a goods vehicle and running through Gudalur town.
Fortunately, Forest Department staff managed to bring the situation under control and ensure that no people were injured.
In a statement, Divisional Forest Officer (Gudalur), Vengatesh Prabhu, said, “Few video footages are being circulated in social media groups that today early morning… a male elephant had been seen moving near Gudalur area. Our team is tracking and guiding this elephant towards the forest area. They can be seen guiding the elephant towards the nearest forest in the footage, and have successfully managed to send the elephant into a deep forest,” he said.
On Friday, the Gudalur Forest Division held a meeting with local farmers’ associations, agriculturalists, and field staff from the Forest Department in Gudalur and Pandalur. During the meeting, department representatives outlined the measures being implemented to prevent negative interactions between humans and elephants in the area. They also discussed the compensation provided to farmers for crop losses. According to a press release from the Forest Department, a total of ₹81.15 lakh in compensation has been paid this financial year to residents affected by wild animals in the division.
They also explained to residents that they were experimenting with the use of mobile thermal drones to chase away wild elephants entering human settlements.
Published – December 08, 2024 05:54 pm IST
