A wild tusker, locally called Padayappa, attacked a ration shop at Periyavare estate under Kannan Devan Hills Plantations (KDHP), near Munnar, on Monday morning. According to residents, the tusker reached Periyavara around 5 a.m. The tusker destroyed a ration shop near the Periyavare tea factory and ate three sacks of rice.
According to Sivaakumari, the owner of the ration shop, when she noticed the presence of the tusker she alerted the neighbours who then chased the tusker from the spot. She said the tusker destroyed the door and wall of the ration shop.
Last week, the tusker attacked another ration shop at Lakkad, near Devikulam, in Munnar and ate rice from there. According to local people, for the past several months, the tusker had been roaming in the plantation areas of Devikulam and Munnar.