Drone to monitor wild tusker on prowl

Elephant driven back to Chennampatti forest, villagers fear the jumbo may return soon

- P SRINIVASAN @Erode

FOREST department officials are actively monitoring through a hi-tech drone the movement of a male wild elephant threatening villagers within the Chennampatti forest range near Anthiyur in the Erode district. Though it was driven back into the forest on Thursday, the forest department is maintaining a vigil in response to the public demand.

Sources say a male wild elephant that came out from the Chennampatti forest had been roaming the farmlands and boundaries of villages there for over a week. On Thursday, unlike usual, the elephant entered the Mothangalpudur village. Shocked by this, the villagers alerted the forest department.