The four youths who surrendered before wildlife warden on Tuesday. Photo: Video grabKalpetta, Wayanad: Four youths, accused of attacking a wild elephant and her calf on a national highway cutting through the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary recently, surrendered before the wildlife warden here on Tuesday.
The youngsters pelted stones at the wild animals and fled in a waiting car as the threatened elephant charged towards them. Manorama News had aired the video that showed the human brutality.
The Forest Department had filed a case under the Wildlife Protection Act for attacking wild animals and putting other travellers' lives in danger. The offence could attract imprisonment of up to seven years.
Watch Video: Revellers go berserk in Wayanad, attack elephants
Wayanad natives Riyas, Shamal Hashim, M. Shameer and Abdul Razzaq surrendered before the warden P. Dhanesh Kumar. They have also produced the car they were using on their trip. If the crime is proven, the car will be confiscated.
The youngsters, who had gone into hiding, surrendered after police intensified hunt for them.
The wild elephant and her child were looking for food and water across the national highway 212 when the youngsters, who were retuning from a trip to Mysore, stopped their car and proceeded to torment them. Though the threatened animals prepared to charge several times, the men continued to pelt stones at them.
This is for the first time that the wildlife department is catching hold of culprits based on video evidence.
