Herd Of Wild Elephants Halt Traffic While Attempting To Cross A National Highway In Coimbatore

The rampant rise in the country’s population, industrialization and urbanisation have taken over the open spaces of the country. Forests have been cut down to build bridges and expand the city. We have been encroaching the natural abode of animals and leaving hardly anything for them to flourish. That is why we often see animals breaking into the city that was once their home.

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A recent visual of a herd of elephants crossing the National Highway at Narasimhanaickenpalayam in Coimbatore district in Tamil Nadu has created panic among the local residents, reports TOI. In the viral video that has been making rounds on the internet, the herd of at least six elephants including two calves can be seen crossing the main road. They even uprooted the centre median on the highway.

The forest officials who immediately reached the spot assured the residents that the herd was being closely looked at. According to a forest department official, the elephant herd came out of the forest near the Bannari Amman Temple area at 5 am and crossed the road.

Periyanaickenpalayam forest ranger Suresh said, “We traced the herd, made it to cross the road back at 8.30 am, move towards Thekkupalayam and then reenter the forest near the same temple. The elephants are now inside the forest and we have a team of anti-poaching watchers and guards monitoring them.”

Looks like this isn’t the first time that the elephant herd came near human settlements. District forest officer D Venkatesh informed that the elephants were migratory who keep changing locations from November to February-end based on the weather. “They are in Narasimanaickenpalayam now and have been seen only for the past couple of days. They may again move away in a few days. Our focus is to ensure they don’t leave the forests or raid crops.”

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Although no one was reportedly injured in the process, it does raise concern over how the animals have little or no space left to live their normal life. And if they are seen wandering around human settlements, they are often harmed. Looks like the ever-increasing human greed has put the lives of animals in grave danger.

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