Forest Department patrol vehicle hits wild elephant on FC&RI campus

A patrol vehicle of the Forest Department hit a wild elephant nicknamed Baahubali on the Forest College and Research Institute (FC&RI) campus in Mettupalayam late on Saturday.

Videos of the incident were widely circulated on social media, following which animal activists criticised the department for its ill-treatment of the elephant.

The department said patrol teams from Mettupalayam and Sirumugai forest ranges rushed to the campus after being alerted about the elephant’s presence.

The Department said the elephant turned towards the patrol vehicle and attempted to push it with its tusks. Besides sounding the sirens, the staff shouted in a bid to chase the elephant. The videos showed the patrol vehicle hitting the elephant on its rear as the driver took it too close to the animal to chase it away. The tusker was subsequently driven out of the campus through the main gate, from where it moved into the forest along Mettupalayam-Kotagiri Road.

The department, in a statement, said the vehicle hit the elephant when the staff tried to turn the vehicle and the animal could not move due to obstructions in front of it. It added that the elephant or staff did not suffer any injury in the incident.

People for Cattle in India sought immediate suspension of the officials involved, filing of a Wildlife Offence Report, and an FIR under the relevant laws.