The Coimbatore Forest Division witnessed 147 deaths due to elephant attacks from 2011 to 2022, during which a total of 176 pachyderms also died of various reasons.
Rise in the elephant population, disturbances in migration paths, changes in land use patterns and agricultural practices and linear infrastructure developments are among the reasons cited by the Forest Department for the continuing negative interactions between humans and elephants.
The Boluvampatti forest range reported the highest number of human deaths (46), followed by Coimbatore (36), Periyanaickenpalayam (23), Sirumugai (13), Madukkarai (11), Mettupalayam (10) and Karamadai (8) during the 12-year period.
