Man killed by elephant in Gudalur

A 54-year-old man was killed in an elephant attack in the Gudalur forest range in the Nilgiris on Wednesday evening.

The deceased was identified as Arumagam, a farmer from Baby Nagar in Machikolli, Devarsholai. It is believed that elephants from adjoining forests in Mudumalai were passing through the area when they attacked Arumagam, who was returning home.

Following the incident, local residents staged a protest demanding that the Forest Department capture and relocate elephants that stray into the area. Forest Department staff and officials rushed to the spot and held discussions with the residents and convinced them to discontinue their protests, following which Arumugam’s body was retrieved and sent for post-mortem.

P. Radhakrishnan, Forest Range Officer (Gudalur division), told The Hindu it was unusual for elephants to stray into the location where Arumugam was killed. “As a result, patrols had not been stationed at the location when the incident happened,” he said, adding that the department would now station a team to monitor the area for elephants and also drive them away if they strayed too close to human habitations.

He also said thermal drones would be used to identify elephants before they ventured too close to human habitations and early-warning systems were already in place to warn residents about the movement of animals. The Forest Department handed over compensation amounting to ₹10 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased.

Published - June 19, 2025 05:32 pm IST