A wild tusker sustained serious injuries after a tourist bus hit the animal at Edathara, near Kallur, inside the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary in Kerala on Monday morning.
According to sanctuary officials, the incident happened as the animal was crossing the Kozhikode-Kollegal national highway 766 with a herd of elephants around 6.30 a.m.
“Though other jumbos managed to cross the road, the tusker, which came behind the herd, was knocked down by the speeding vehicle,” an official said.
The official said that the bus transporting pilgrims was returning to Hegde Devan Kotta in Karnataka from Sabarimala.
There were more than 20 pilgrims onboard the bus and four of them also sustained minor injuries in the accident.
The tusker sustained injuries on its spine and ribs. Forest officials were monitoring the injured elephant which then moved to the nearby forest, the sources added.
Traffic on the busy national highway route was briefly affected after the accident.
Driver arrested
The bus driver, Hemantha, 39, of Hegde Devan Kotta, has been arrested in connection with the incident.
He was charged under various sections of the Wildlife Protection Act and was set to be produced before the First Class Judicial Magistrate Court at Sulthan Bathery in the evening.
