The Hindu
Thursday, Mar 11, 2010
PALANI: Once again, the man-animal conflict came to the fore on Lower Palni hill at Ayakudi near here on Tuesday night as a herd of wild elephants entered into the hamlets near Sattaparai village from the Reserve Forests. The herd chased farm workers and attacked them.
When one of the elephants pushed a male farm worker in a guava farm, two other agriculture labourers, including a woman, jumped in to a farm well to escape from the animal attack.
The injured - Madasamy and Veerabadran – were admitted to the Palani Government Hospital.
Condemning the animal attack and inaction of Forest officials, hundreds of people, residing at Sattaparai village and nearby hamlets, picketed Dindigul-Palani highway at Ayakudi.
Traffic was affected for more than four hours.
Meanwhile, a group of people entered in to the Ayakudi police station and threatened to attack it.
Later, the police convinced them to go out.
After a prolonged negotiation, Forest officials assured to drive away all elephants in to reserve forests in four days. Till then, local people should be careful while entering into forests, said officials.
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