Although the action of the elephant entering Doddabetta last week extended to day seven, local conservationists and forest department staff were convinced that animals that have now reached the Katy Valley will reach their homes on the Coonoor hillside in the coming days. They urged local residents in the area to exercise caution.
The elephant is a well-known uniform temperament, a male who does not show aggressiveness to humans, and has entered the multi-dabetta reserve forest last weekend. Since then, the Forest Department has been committed to keeping the elephants away from the area and returning to Coonoor, but with little success, the area has been closed by the Forest Department.
A few days ago, the elephant left Doddabetta and descended along Arakkadu (it is believed to be the first route to Doddabetta) and entered the Ketti Valley, where she has been taking refuge for the past few days. Since the area’s exports, Doddabetta Peak has been opened to tourists again, some of whom managed to capture videos and images of elephants and walk peacefully along Coonoor-udhagamandalam Road and Ketti Valley.
The Forest staff team has been dispatched to the area to monitor animals because they are now confident that the elephant will likely recover to Kunore, senior forest officials said.
They said that since animals show no signs of aggression to humans, there is little threat to humans in the area, but residents are urged to act cautiously when taking risks.
publishing – May 11, 2025-8:53 IST
