Erode: A 55-year-old farmer was trampled to death by a rogue elephant in the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR) here, forest officials said on Monday.

The victim, identified as Maran, a resident of Bairamarathotti village near Guthiyalathur forest, owned farmland where he cultivated maize. To protect his crops from wild animals, particularly wild boars and elephants, Maran often stayed on his farm at night, they said.

On Sunday, at around 10.45 pm, the lone rogue elephant entered his field. Maran attempted to drive it away but was attacked and trampled to death on the spot. The elephant then fled the area.

Hearing the commotion, nearby farmers rushed to the scene and found Maran’s body. They alerted forest officials and the Kadambur police.

A team of police and forest personnel reached the location, recovered the body and sent it to the government hospital in Sathyamangalam for postmortem.

Both forest officials and police have registered the incident and are investigating.

Local authorities have also urged farmers to exercise caution while guarding crops in elephant-prone areas. 

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