Mysore/Mysuru: The Forest Department has restricted tourist entry to Sangama and Mekedatu in the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary till May 3, following an incident in which a wild elephant injured a woman.

With summer drawing large crowds, the riverbank spots have been seeing a heavy inflow of visitors from Mysuru, Bengaluru, Mandya and other places.

On Apr. 23, while hundreds of tourists were bathing and playing in the river at Sangama, a lone tusker suddenly emerged from the forest and ran through the crowd.

While trying to cross the river and chase a cow, the elephant brushed against a woman from Bengaluru who was in the water. Though it did not attack her directly, she sustained a leg injury. Forest personnel rescued her and shifted her to a hospital, where she was treated and later discharged.

A few days earlier, a man was killed in a separate elephant attack in the Sangama area. In view of the repeated incidents, officials have warned that wild elephants, especially in search of water during summer, may move unpredictably and pose a risk to visitors.

Consequently, Range Forest Officer Anil Kumar has ordered a temporary ban on tourist entry to Sangama and Mekedatu till May 3. Barricades have been erected along the approach road and forest staff have been deployed to turn visitors back.