Panic as elephant herd raids Somayampalayam village

Coimbatore: While they are struggling to keep two wild elephants off the villages on the Thadagam Valley, a herd of elephants that raided Somayampalayam on Saturday is posing a new challenge to the forest department.

Somayampalayam residents had spotted the herd, consisting of 12 elephants, among the thorny bushes of the village boundary on Friday night. They immediately informed the forest department. A team consisting of anti-poaching watchers (APWs) and rapid response team (RRT) reached the spot, but decided not to disturb the animals as it was too late.

The team began to chase the herd away from the village to the reserve forest on Saturday morning by bursting crackers. But instead of running to the forest, the herd entered the agricultural fields, as villagers from Somayampalayam and surrounding areas watched in disbelief.

The team, led by range officer Suresh, managed to drive the elephants back to the forest around 7pm. “We spent the entire day to chase away the elephants to the reserve forest,” he told TOI.
The department has deployed a team at Somayampalayam to monitor the movement of wild elephants. It has requested the villagers not to venture out of their houses at night.

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