One dead as elephants go berserk in Mysore

Two young wild elephants strayed into Mysore city from a nearby forest early Wednesday and caused havoc, trampling a man to death and causing panic.
Forest guards tranquilized the elephants and chained them to trees after about three hours of high voltage drama and mayhem, Higher Education Minister S.A. Ramdas said in Maysore, about 140 km from Bangalore.
The victim was identified as Renuka Prasad, a 55-year-old resident of Bamboo Bazar.
'Prasad was trampled to death by one of the elephants near his house when he came out on hearing the commotion. Though he was rushed to a hospital, he died,' Ramdas said.
Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa announced Rs.500,000 as compensation to Prasad's family.
As a precaution, all schools and colleges in Maysore were shut Wednesday. Additional policemen were deployed in the suburbs, Ramdas said.
While one elephant entered a women's college and menacingly roamed in the complex, the other entered a residential area and a market, attacking Prasad and a cow.
The forest guards and officials from the Mysore zoo rushed to the areas. The two elephants will be pushed back to the forest, Ramdas said.
A forest official blamed the incident on the growing man-animal conflict due to encroachment of forests, decline in forest area due to unregulated expansion of farm lands and increasing movement of people and vehicles in the elephant corridors.