Tribal youth trampled to death by wild elephant in Kotagiri

Udhagamandalam : A tribal youth was trampled to death by a wild elephant in Kotagiri, in the early hours of Tuesday.The deceased has been identified as an Irula tribesman, C Raghu, 28, of Thalamokkai settlement in Kotagiri. Forest officials said the incident took place around 2am when Raghu was walking to a riverside temple near the forest fringe, along with some relatives and friends. A wild elephant that had strayed from the nearby forest intercepted the group and attacked Raghu killing him on the spot.On being alerted, a forest team recovered the body and sent it to the Kotagiri Government Hospital for a postmortem. Meanwhile, preliminary inquiries indicated that Raghu was caught off guard because of the pitch-dark conditions and the elephant's sudden proximity. Police also visited the scene and registered a case. The forest department has initiated the compensation process and provided an initial payment of 50,000 to Raghu's wife, Kaliammal. Forest officials have urged residents, especially those in tribal settlements near forest boundaries, to remain extremely cautious. They warned that moving near forest areas at night greatly increases the risk of deadly encounters with wild animals.The Nilgiris forest division has also asked the public to immediately report sightings of dangerous wildlife outside forest limits through the toll-free helpline 1800-425-45456.