A 1.01-minute video recorded by the lorry assistant shows the elephant approaching the vehicle and seizing the sugarcane, after which the driver started the lorry and drove away.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Like in a scene straight out of a movie, a wild elephant intercepted a sugarcane-laden lorry in the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR), damaged the windshield, tore the tarpaulin apart with its trunk, and grabbed a bunch of sugarcane, on Thursday (August 22, 2025).
The incident occurred at around 4.30 p.m. between Arepalayam Junction, near Hasanur, and Dhimbam on the Dindigul-Mysuru National Highway (NH 948), when the lorry was transporting cane from Thalavadi to a private sugar mill in Sathyamangalam. A 1.01-minute video recorded by the lorry assistant shows the elephant approaching the vehicle and seizing the sugarcane, after which the driver started the lorry and drove away.
Driver Sitharaj, who was behind the wheel, told The Hindu that the elephant, unable to pull the cane from the sides as the load was covered and tied, balanced itself by placing its front legs on the windshield before dragging out the sugarcane. “Such incidents have been frequent in the past week since harvesting began,” he said, adding that drivers often fear for their safety but remain helpless.
With the harvesting season underway in Thalavadi Hills, several lorries transport cane daily along the 27-km stretch of the highway between Karapallam check-post in the hills and Bannari check-post in the plains. Drivers said incidents of wild elephants intercepting sugarcane-laden lorries have been on the rise. The Forest Department has instructed farmers and lorry drivers to cover cane loads with tarpaulin, a practice enforced since October 2024.
Earlier, most of such incidents occurred early in the morning or in the evening, and lorry drivers were advised to ply after 10 a.m. However, with the change in timings, elephants are now frequently waiting along the highway to intercept lorries.
Published – August 22, 2025 12:38 pm IST
