Panic gripped the farmers of half a dozen hamlets in Yadamarri mandal bordering Tamil Nadu with a 14-member herd of wild elephants crisscrossing the fields and destroying standing crops of banana and other vegetables in large stretches. Crop damage was reported near the villages of Patrapalle, Siddareddipalle, and Tanjavuru.
According to information, the herd enatered the border villages from Tamil Nadu forests after straying from the Koundinya wildlife sanctuary on Tuesday night and continued the havoc till the early hours of Wednesday.
Despite knowing the herd’s presence in the fields, the farmers on the night vigil and others from the villages were forced to stay away from efforts to drive the pachyderms owing to thick fog conditions till 8 a.m. Acting on information, the forest watchers rushed to the spot and secured the herd into a thicket at the foot of a hillock. The farmers feared that the herd might return to the fields and sought the forest staff to continue vigil at the vulnerable exit and entry points along the forest stretch.
Divisional Forest Officer (Chittoor West) S. Ravi Shankar said the herd belonged to the Koundinya Wildlife Sanctuary. “Our field staff is constantly watching the herd movements. We have advised the farmers to abandon night vigils and avoid wearing white clothes,” he said.
