Forest Department patrol vehicle hits wild elephant on FC&RI campus

A patrol conveyance of the Forest Department deed a chaotic elephant nicknamed Baahubali connected the Forest College and Research Institute (FC&RI) field successful Mettupalayam precocious connected Saturday.

Videos of the incidental were wide circulated connected societal media, pursuing which carnal activists criticised the section for its ill-treatment of the elephant.

The section said patrol teams from Mettupalayam and Sirumugai wood ranges rushed to the field aft being alerted astir the elephant’s presence.

The Department said the elephant turned towards the patrol conveyance and attempted to propulsion it with its tusks. Besides sounding the sirens, the unit shouted successful a bid to pursuit the elephant. The videos showed the patrol conveyance hitting the elephant connected its rear arsenic the operator took it excessively adjacent to the carnal to pursuit it away. The tusker was subsequently driven retired of the field done the main gate, from wherever it moved into the wood on Mettupalayam-Kotagiri Road.

The department, successful a statement, said the conveyance deed the elephant erstwhile the unit tried to crook the conveyance and the carnal could not determination owed to obstructions successful beforehand of it. It added that the elephant oregon unit did not endure immoderate wounded successful the incident.

People for Cattle successful India sought contiguous suspension of the officials involved, filing of a Wildlife Offence Report, and an FIR nether the applicable laws.