A 47-year-old woman was killed by a Makhna or tuskless male elephant at Dharmagiri in Gudalur on Wednesday morning. Police said J. Leena alias Mary was chased by the elephant and trampled to death after she left home for the church around 6 a.m.
Forest department officials said there was very poor visibility due to fog and Leena might not have noticed the elephant until she was a few feet from it.
P.K. Dileep, District Forest Officer (Gudalur Division), said “The animal panicked as its comfort zone was breached. We had issued directions to people in Dharmagiri not to come outside their homes before 7 a.m.,” he added.
Mr. Dileep did not blame the incident on the victim, and said the department would prevent recurrence of this incident.
Awareness drives would be carried out in the area, including announcements and posters to warn people of the risks.
Forest officials believe that the animal was a 45-year-old male elephant. They said that there were three Makhna elephants which frequently roam the Gudalur Forest Range. Anti-poaching watchers and field staff would be mobilised to keep a watch on the animals’ movements.