The Hindu : Front Page : Elephants attack farm workers

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Thursday, Mar 11, 2010
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Elephants attack farm workers

Staff Reporter

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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