Rajakumari: The Chief Wildlife Warden issued an order to capture wild tusker ‘Arikomban’ on Tuesday after the rogue elephant wreaked havoc in inhabited areas.
A woman had a narrow escape after the elephant attacked her house at the 301 Colony near Chinnakanal in Idukki district.
The rogue tusker, known as 'Arikomban', knocked down the rear portion of the house around 4am on Monday.
Emily Njayanamuthu, a widow living alone at the house, escaped unharmed. The bedroom wall has been completely destroyed. A tragedy was averted as she ran towards the front portion of the house upon hearing the repeated bangs on the wall.
Only after people from the neighbouring houses rushed to Emily's home and created a ruckus, the tusker backed off. The wild elephant went over to the other side after swimming across the Anayirangal reservoir.
The concrete roof of the house has also developed a crack in the wild elephant’s attack.
The Forest Department had decided to tranquilise tusker 'Arikomban' but the follow-up action has been delayed. The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by the Forest Minister at the Collectorate on January 31.
