A truck which broke down inside the Bandipur National Park was damaged by a herd of wild elephants on Monday night. After damaging the truck, the elephants feasted on the food items that were kept inside the vehicle.

The vehicle (KA-25 B-5444) was transporting beds and mattresses from Bengaluru to Thalassery in Kerala via Gundlupet, Bandipur and Gudalur (Tamil Nadu). When it neared Melukamanahalli Gate, the vehicle broke down at a steep gradient inside the National Park. As the driver and cleaner could not diagnose the problem, they had left the truck and returned to Gundlupet to get a mechanic.

The mechanic from Gundlupet, however, could not repair the truck as there was a snag inside the gear box and he suggested that an expert mechanic from Mysuru must be brought. Having no alternative, the driver and the cleaner had to leave the vehicle inside the forests and came to Mysuru. Fortunately, they chose not to sleep inside the truck.

Overnight, a herd of wild elephants attacked the truck and broke its glass and also pulled out metal panels attached to the vehicle. The elephants damaged the vehicle radiator too. Smelling certain food items kept in the driver’s cabin, the pachyderms lifted the bags with their trunks and feasted on rice, tur dal, vegetables and certain other items.

On Tuesday at 6 am as the Melukamanahalli Gate was opened, the truck driver and cleaner arrived near the vehicle along with the mechanic and were shocked to see the plight of their vehicle. Later, another truck was summoned — as the damaged truck could not be repaired — to transport the beds and mattresses to Kerala. Since the incident occurred within the forest limits, the vehicle is not eligible for any compensation from the Forest Department.