Readers of The Pioneer may remember Ganeshan, the wild elephant in the O’Valley Forest Range in Ootty district which had been the darling of the villagers in the periphery of the reserve forest. It is with sorrow and grief that we report about the death of Ganeshan, popularly addressed as Nadodi (Tamil for the Gypsy), in the village near the O’Valley Forest Range on Friday.
The elephant had returned to the village after a long time, probably in search of fruits and vegetables.
Though a wild elephant, Ganeshan was known for his cordial relations with the villagers. There had been no report of any unpleasant incident between him and the villagers who always gave the pachyderm sumptuous meals whenever he visited the village. However, this time, the villagers, worried about the frequent attacks by heard of elephants on their crops, chose to keep him off the banana and sugar plantations. While driving him away from one such fields, Ganeshan fell into a sewage pit.
“It was a tragic incident. Though we all rushed to the spot and tried our best to save him, Ganeshan had breathed his last. It seems he was having some health issues,” said G Ramakrishnan, the Forest Range Officer. Ramakrishnan was friendly with Ganeshan and had looked after him well in March when the elephant came limping to the O’Valley village with a swollen feet.
“He had gone back to the deep forests after the treatment fully cured him. It was the villagers and the Forest Department that had provided him all care during those days. This is the first time he came out of the deep forest since March 2018,” said Ramakrishnan.
The Forest Ranger said the elephant could be of 50 to 55 years of age. “The villagers would definitely miss him badly since he was a frequent visitor who enjoyed their hospitality,” he said.
O’Valley Forest Division has been described as a conflict-zone between animals and human beings. But Ganeshan was an exception.