The Forest Department is monitoring a wild elephant that is suspected to be roaming in distress in places near Thadagam in Coimbatore district.
On Sunday, the Department used a drone to track the male elephant in a reserve forest area of the Melmudi foothills.
The elephant was first spotted at Thiruvalluvar Nagar that falls under the Thadagam south beat of the Coimbatore forest range around 7 p.m. Friday. The border night patrol team (BNPT) of the Department rushed to the locality and followed it.
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The animal moved to Kanuvai where it quenched its thirst from a waterhole before moving north. It then damaged banana and tomato crops in farm fields at Pappanaickenpalayam.
The tusker went into a reserve forest area of the Thadagam north beat around 7 a.m. on Saturday. The BNPT followed the elephant and could not find any external injury. According to the Department, the elephant strayed into Varapalayam village where it damaged a ration shop and ate rice around 11 p.m. on Saturday. Later, it moved to a reserve forest area of the Melmudi foothills.
Officials said the elephant seemed to be healthy and the staff could not find any injury. Though the staff used a drone for surveillance on Sunday, they could not locate the elephant in the forest area, Coimbatore Forest Range Officer Arun Kumar said.
Separate teams were monitoring two other wild elephants in the Mettupalayam and Periyanaickenpalayam forest ranges.
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