Elephants kill two in separate incidents

DNA
November 17, 2008
MYSORE: In what may seem like a tale of vengence, elephants killed two persons in seperate incidents in Mysore and Chamarajanagar district on Saturday. A 40 - year old mahout Bola was gored to death by nine-year-old elephant 'Kyata' in Biligiriranganatha Swamy Sanctury in Chamarajanagar district. Bola had been to feed jaggery to the elephant when it reportedly attacked him and threw him on the ditch. This killed Bola on the spot on Saturday morning. While people gathered in hundreds, the still angry elephant Kyata did not allow any one near Bola's body, displaying angry mannerisms.

Deputy Conservator of Forests Biswajeet Mishra, ACF Aswathanarayana Gowda and others had camped in the area till late hours on Saturday to retrieve the body. The body was lifted at around 10 pm, only after Kyata came under partial control of other experts. Postmortem was conducted on Sunday and body was handed over for final rites to his family. Bola has left behind an adopted a child, apart from three children of his own, and his wife.

In another incident in Hunasehalla village of HD Kote taluk in Mysore district, Forest Watcher Muddumallaiah was trampled to death by a herd of elephants. Muddumallaiah, along with his officers, had gone to chase the elephants into the forests, following phone calls from villagers about elephants straying into the fields. Another person Madaiah was also injured seriously in the incident and is hospitalised.