Students panic after spotting wild elephant near school in Idukki

A group of students from Mariagiri English Medium School in Idukki narrowly escaped a wild elephant attack on Wednesday. The elephant was crossing the road at Mariagiri near Peerumade on the Kottarakara-Dindigul National Highway.

According to Forest department officials, the students were waiting for buses to return home around 5 p.m. when the incident occurred. Noticing the elephant crossing the road and coming towards them, the panicked students ran to the school compound.

The CCTV visuals showed the students running for safety after seeing the elephant approaching them. However, the animal headed towards a eucalyptus plantation in the Thattathikkanam area after crossing the road.

Kottayam Divisional Forest Officer N. Rajesh said that usually wild elephants are not seen in the area and that the tuskless male elephant had accidentally reached the spot.

“A Forest department team chased the jumbo back to the forest and monitored its movements with the assistance of a drone. The team will continue the patrolling in the Peerumade-Kuttikkanam route,” said Mr. Rajesh.

Meanwhile, local people alleged that for the past few months, wild elephants have been causing panic among residents in the Kuttikkanam, Peerumade, and Thattathikkanam areas. Recently, wild elephants had also strayed into a government guesthouse premises near Peerumade.

Published - November 14, 2024 08:30 pm IST