Date:31/10/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/31/stories/2008103152690300.htm

Kerala - Thrissur

Elephant runs amok

Staff Reporter

PHOTO: K.K. Najeeb

Enraged: Elephant Ayyappan causing destruction at Kunnamkulam, near Thrissur, on Thursday. —

Thrissur: An elephant, named Chethallur Ayyappan, ran amok at Kidangur near Kunnamkulam on Thursday.

The elephant, tethered at the Kidangur Nettithadam Subramania Swamy Temple, became violent around 10 a.m. while being taken for the Marathancode Church festival.

The elephant knocked down a compound wall and an electricity pole, destroyed a well and uprooted trees. Mahouts brought the elephant under control around 2 p.m., the police said.

The Kerala Elephant Lovers’ Association on Thursday submitted a memorandum to Principal Chief Conservator of Forest T.M. Manoharan demanding that the elephant should be seized and subjected to medical examination.

“The elephant has vision problems. It had ran amok seven times (three times in Palakkad and the rest in Malappuram and Thrissur districts) during the festival season last year,” the association officials said.