5 forest personnel hurt after being chased by elephants

Salem: Five forest personnel suffered bruises when a herd of six elephants which they were trying to drive back into forest area suddenly turned around and chased them in the district today, officials said.

A 10-member team of forest department was engaged in the task of clearing the elephants from Mannur village in reserved forest area in the district when some people pelted stones, provoking the jumbos.

As the herd started chasing them, the forest personnel ran helter skelter and suffered minor injuries like bruises caused by thorny bushes, District Forest Officer (DFO) Sugirdharaj Kovilpillai told PTI in Salem.

The forest officials have been trying to chase away the herd, which has been moving about in the forest fringes of Salem and neighbouring Namakkal district since March and damaged more than 20 paddy fields.

The elephants destroyed two huts in Mannur and devoured 10 bags of rice and paddy kept inside.

The DFO said he had sought police assistance to control the local public as they keep causing hindrance to the forest personnel in their effort to drive away the elephants.