Tusker Padayappa attacks ration shop, eats rice

A wild tusker, locally called Padayappa, attacked a ration shop at Lakkad Bazaar, near Devikulam, in Munnar on Friday morning. According to residents, the tusker reached Lakkad Bazaar around 5 a.m. The tusker destroyed a ration shop owned by Lakkad resident Vijayalakshmi. The tusker destroyed three sacks of rice and ate some of it. When the tusker attacked the shop, Vijayalakshmi’s husband Jayaram was in the nearby room. On noticing the tusker’s presence, he escaped. Later, local people chased the tusker away. The animal damaged some vegetable farms in the area. The tusker was finally chased back to the forest around 7 a.m. In July, Padayappa attacked a house at Pampanmala, near Marayur, and ate a full sack of rice.