A herd of eight elephants damaged a ration shop at Theethipalayam village near Coimbatore early on Tuesday (November 14, 2023) morning. The pachyderms ate rice, dal, sugar and wheat before they were chased away by Forest Department staff and village residents.
This is the second such incident this year near Coimbatore district: in July, a ration shop near Navavoor Pirivu was damaged by a tusker who ate the rice stored there.
Forest Department officials said Tuesday’s incident took place around 2 a.m. A herd, comprising a mother and a calf, damaged the rolling shutter of the ration shop. The elephants then put in their trunks through the gap and pulled out gunny bags containing rice, dal, sugar and wheat.
