Fri Jul 18 05:22:47 UTC 2025: **Summary:**
A 58-year-old man, Gopalakrishnan, was fined ₹10,000 by the Forest Department after attempting to feed a wild elephant bananas within the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR) in Tamil Nadu. The incident occurred on a restricted stretch of highway where stopping to feed wildlife is prohibited. The man was traced through his vehicle registration after a video of the incident went viral. Forest officials are now using the incident to raise awareness about the dangers and legal ramifications of feeding wild animals.
**News Article:**
**Man Fined ₹10,000 for Feeding Wild Elephant in Tamil Nadu Reserve**
**Erode, Tamil Nadu – July 18, 2025** – A 58-year-old man has been fined ₹10,000 for violating wildlife protection laws after attempting to feed a wild elephant within the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR). The incident occurred on July 13th on the Dindigul-Bengaluru National Highway (NH 948), a stretch known for human-animal conflict where stopping to feed or photograph wildlife is strictly prohibited.
Gopalakrishnan, a resident of Annur taluk in Coimbatore, was identified after a video of him attempting to feed bananas to an elephant went viral on social media. The video showed the elephant approaching his vehicle after he offered it the fruit, prompting him to quickly retreat and drive away.
Forest officials launched an investigation using the vehicle’s registration number, leading them to Gopalakrishnan. He was summoned to the Sathyamangalam Forest Range Office where he admitted to the act and acknowledged it was a punishable offense under the Wildlife Protection Act.
Kulal Yogesh Vilas, Deputy Director of STR, imposed the fine. The Forest Department is now leveraging the incident to raise public awareness. They have released a video explaining the legal consequences and dangers of feeding wild animals, aiming to deter similar actions and protect both the public and wildlife.
The 27-km stretch of highway where the incident occurred is a core area of the tiger reserve, and officials are reiterating the importance of adhering to the rules to prevent future human-animal conflicts.
First Piper 
Elephant didn’t chase him. It just followed him two steps expecting more bananas from him. When the man approached the car ,elephant gently stopped .Whether any board cautioning people not to feed animals is kept anywhere?Whether speeding drivers ruthlessly hitting and killing forest animals are punished ?People’ll be happy if the forest dept orders by putting boards to reduce the speed of all the vehicles while crossing forests and trace those vehicles and drivers who hit and run after killing the animals.
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