Tirupati: Tusker raids border villages, damage crops

Tirupati: Wild elephants were on rampage yet again, damaging crops in villages on the forest fringes of Ramakuppam, Ramasamudram mandals in Kuppam segment of Chittoor district.

A lone tusker entered Doddipalli and Baridepalli villages from Karangi forest of Karnataka five days ago and later strayed into Chokkandlapalli, Ulapadu, Moogavadi panchayats on Sunday. The animal trampled to death a farmer T. Venkataramana, 60, of Bhusanikurapalle in Ramasamudram mandal on Sunday.

The lone elephant created terror in the nearby villages by damaging crops and climbed the nearby hill Addakonda and has been hiding there for the past two days.

The forest department roped into action two trained tuskers Vinayak and Jayanth from Nainal with the hope that the lone elephant would come down after hearing the roars of the two elephants.

However, the forest officials’ strategy to bring down the elephant failed, even as doctors and shooters came from Hyderabad to tranquilise it.

According to Chittoor West DFO Chakrapani, it is difficult to find the lone elephant in Addakonda and bring it down. “We are waiting downhill for the elephant which has to come down for water, as it can’t find water there,” he said.

“After it is caught, the animal will be shifted to the forests of Karnataka,” he said.
Meanwhile, another herd of five elephants intruded villages in Ramakuppam mandal on Monday and damaged crops. The herd was driven into the nearby forest area by farmers by beating of drums and firing crackers.

Though, elephants are entering human habitations and destroying crops, the forest department is not taking any step to drive the pachyderms back into the forests.

Lack of night vigil at the fields is also resulting in crop raids by wild elephants. Although the forest department has dug deep trenches to dissuade tuskers, some areas have been left untouched due to rocks, making it easy for tuskers to enter human habitats. Iron fencing laid by the forest department along the roads, too, was pulled down by the elephants.

According to farmers in Ramasamudram, every time elephants raid crops, they scare the animals away by beating drums and firing crackers.
But, the elephants return at night when everyone is asleep.