Hole in the wall: Jumbo’s display of brain and brawn shocks residents of Padanthorai in Nilgiris

COIMBATORE: Recently, social media was abuzz with a video of a wild elephant casually climbing over a railway barricade in Nagarahole. It is no surprise that wild elephants are clever. Some of the mother elephants even express human-like emotions when their calves die.

In a similar display of brain and brawn, a makhna elephant made a hole on a wall just big enough to put his trunk in a kitchen of a house at Padanthorai in Nilgiris on Monday and ate rice and groceries.

Usually, wild elephants damage the entire house in order to get a taste of rice. However, this makhna elephant has outsmarted the rest.

This incident happened despite forest department staff were engaged in night patrolling in a nearby area. Two makhna elephants managed to enter the residential area in Padanthorai, while one of them made a hole in the wall of the house owned by one Arjun.

After noticing the animals, the inhabitants of the house rushed out and took shelter in their neighbour’s house and informed the forest department.

"Two makhna elephants are roaming together and damaging houses to taste rice and grocery. Sometimes, they are joined by another elephant. This elephant in particular was attracted by the smell of rice and has been damaging the houses where the rice bags are stored. We have named him Arisiraja. Due to the frequent movement of these jumbos, we are scared to venture out during the night, said Sekar, a resident of the Chelukkady village.

"This incident happened a week after we staged a protest at Padanthorai Bazaar demanding the Gudalur forest division officials to drive away the elephants. It is not a few weeks, but the animal has been causing damage for a few months now,” he added. Sekar said they would live a peaceful life if they were chased away and if the officials prevent the animals from entering human habitation permanently.

Gudalur Forest Range officer Ganesan told TNIE, that kumkis would be deployed to chase the elephants away into the wild again.