Idukki: Tourists had a lucky escape from wild tusker Murivalan as the animal charged at their vehicle after blocking the Munnar-Mattupetti Road Thursday night.
“The incident occurred near Shooting Point at 9.30 pm on Thursday. Vehicles from both directions had stopped on seeing the jumbo standing in the middle of the road. However, a vehicle from Tamil Nadu tried to ride past it turning the elephant violent. It came charging toward the vehicle. It seemed that the driver was new to the area,” said Munnar-based tour operator Anoop Jose. Traffic resumed after a few minutes as the elephant stepped away.
He said that a herd of elephants including tusker Murivalan and three cow elephants was roaming the meadows by the road.
“There is enough food and water in the area so they normally will not create any trouble for the tourists. But when the elephants enter the road, the forest watchers find it difficult to deal with them,” Anoop said.
Just like Arikomban, the notorious wild tusker that was translocated from Idukki, Murivalan, believed to be aged 35, raids human habitats in the Chinnakanal and Panniyar regions for food during summer.
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