Man killed in elephant attack

Madikeri: A 59- year- old man died in an elephant attack at Naladi village in Kakkabbe of Madikeri taluk on Saturday.

The deceased is Kambeyanda Rajadevaiah. A wild elephant had allegedly chased him while he was walking on his coffee plantation. Though he ran for 100 metres, an elephant attacked him. The seriously injured Rajadevaiah died on the spot. Dog which had accompanied him to the plantation had returned home alone. Suspecting something fishy, family members carried out a search and found the body.

His brother had suffered injuries in an elephant attack eight months ago.

Enraged over the incident, local residents expressed their displeasure over increase in elephant attacks and alleged that no action has been taken to drive away elephants back to the forest. MLA A S Ponnanna who is also legal advisor to the Chief Minister visited the spot and promised to take measures to drive away elephants back to the forest.

DCF Bhaskar said efforts are on to identify the elephant that had claimed the life. Once it's identified, a proposal to capture the elephant will be submitted.

Naladi is situated on the foothills of Tadiyandamol hillock. Padinalkunadu reserve forest is situated just a kilometre away from the spot. There are 30 to 40 elephants in the forest. About three to four elephants have been straying into the plantation frequently. A team from Dubare elephant camp will be called to identify the elephant that attacked the man, said sources. This is the fourth death due to an elephant attack in Kodagu since January. In fact, three lost their lives in the month of March alone.