A wild tusker, locally known as Chakkakompan, did not sustain any injuries after a four-wheeler hit the animal on Tuesday night. A person sustains injuries and two others had a narrow escape after the car they were traveling in hit Chakkakompan, at Choondal, near Thondimala, on the Kochi-Dhanushkodi national highway around 8 p.m. According to Forest department officials, the car hit the tusker accidentally.
Devikulam range officer P.V. Vegi said the Forest department team inspected the tusker on Wednesday morning. “The tusker was camping at Cement Palam, near Chinnakkanal, on Wednesday and we did not find any injuries on the animal after the accident. The rapid response team (RRT) members will monitor the movements of the tusker,” said Mr. Vegi.
Choondal residents Thankaraj, his daughter Sathya and his grandson Paul Kripakaran were en route to Munnar from Poopara at the time of the accident. When the vehicle reached Choondal, the car hit the tusker which was standing on the road. As it was a turn, they did not notice the animal’s presence, they said.
According to local residents, Thankaraj sustained injuries, and the car was partially damaged. Sathya and Kripakaran escaped without injuries. After administering primary treatment at a private hospital at Rajakumari, Thankaraj was shifted to a hospital in Tamil Nadu. Forest officials said the tusker retreated from the area after the incident.
Forest department officials pointed out that wild elephants frequently stray into the national highway in the Poopara-Devikulam route.
