A 26-year-old man has becom the second human fatality in a suspected gaur attack in the Nilgiris this year.
Forest department officials identified the deceased as N. Ranjith Kumar (26). He was found dead in the Coonoor forest range near Vandisolai on Monday morning with injuries consistent with a gaur attack. Forest department officials were informed and the body was sent post-mortem.
Assistant Conservator of Forests, Nilgiris division, K. Saravanakumar said preliminary inquiries made among local residents had revealed that Ranjith Kumar had a quarrel with his family and then ventured out of his home on Sunday night when the incident occurred. He might have also been in an inebriated condition.
“This was a purely accidental interaction which resulted in the death,” said Mr. Saravanakumar. Forest department staff handed over a check for ₹50,000 to Ranjith Kumar’s next of kin as interim compensation.
Officials said that this was the second human fatality in a human-gaur interaction in the Nilgiris this year. Earlier, a 70-year-old woman was killed near Kunapannai near Kotagiri. Three persons were killed in separate incidents of gaur attacks last year.
Forest department officials said they would step up patrolling in areas prone to problematic human-animal interactions. The public would also be sensitised to the safety measures.
