Meena, a 32-year-old worker, had just reached the coffee plantation in Galigundi near Aldur in Chikkamagaluru district on November 8 morning, along with fellow workers. She was about to have breakfast when she encountered a wild tusker. She froze in shock and the pachyderm trampled her to death and moved on nonchalantly.
Watching tamed elephants take a stroll on the city streets as part of the Dasara procession inspires awe. But encountering a tusker in the wild or in the coffee estates of Hassan and Chikkamagaluru districts can be very dangerous. Like Meena, many have died in the two districts in the last 20 years. Since August 8 (Elephant Day), six people have died in elephant attacks in the two neighbouring districts. Among them, two were working for the Forest Department.
