An elephant ran amok creating panic at Thathamangalam, near Chittur, here on Saturday noon for almost two hours. No one was injured. The animal was brought under control by mahouts with the help of local people. Forest officials reached the spot only after it was tethered to a coconut tree.
It was part of a 39-member group of elephants taken to Thathamangalam on Friday to be paraded at the Angadi Vela. Local people said no personnel from the police, fire force, or elephant squad was present when the elephant ran amok.
“The festival was organised near a narrow road and no safety measures were taken. We had alerted the authorities to the risk in advance,” says environmentalist S. Guruvayurappan.
The mahouts could not produce any documents on the elephant’s ownership and there was no officially issued identity card, said forest officials.
