An assistant beat forest officer was killed in an elephant attack during the ongoing tiger census in Attappady forest on Saturday afternoon.
Kalimuthu, 48, a resident of Nellippathy, was walking through the forest with two fellow officers at Mulli, near Tamil Nadu border, when the elephant attacked him.
The incident occurred around 2 p.m., about two kilometres inside the forest. Kannan and Achuthan were accompanying Kalimuthu at the time. Although Mr. Achuthan was caught between the elephant’s legs, he managed to escape with minor injuries.
Kalimuthu, however, was seized by the elephant and trampled. He died on the spot.
Forest Rapid Action Force personnel recovered Kalimuthu’s body after a search operation.
A few days ago, a five-member forest team had been trapped in the same area near Mulli during the initial phase of the tiger census. However, they returned safely after spending the night in the forest.
Published – December 06, 2025 08:48 pm IST
