Two Elephants Lose Life in Human-animal Conflict in Chittoor

Tirupati: Erstwhile Chittoor district, which shares its border with forested regions of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, continues to grapple with consequences of human-animal conflict, as evidenced by two separate incidents that claimed the life of an elephant each on Tuesday and Wednesday.

In the first incident, a 16-year-old male elephant had wreaked havoc in Arul Puram of Gudipala mandal in August. The elephant had gone rogue and killed three people, destroyed cattle and damaged crops. To prevent the elephant from causing further damage, forest officials captured the animal and relocated it to S.V. Zoo Park in Tirupati on August 31.

Zoo curator C. Selvam said the elephant had been kept in a special enclosure at the zoo since its arrival. Veterinary doctors and skilled mahouts made efforts to care for and train the animal to be social. However, due to its aggressive behaviour, the elephant frequently suffered injuries. Despite receiving extensive treatment, the elephant succumbed to its injuries on Tuesday.

In a separate incident, a middle-aged male elephant died of electrocution at Gantavaripalli in Sadum mandal in Chittoor district on Wednesday. Wildlife officials said the loner had been foraging on farmland adjacent to the forest area. It accidentally came into contact with a transformer and got electrocuted.
When contacted, district forest officer (DFO) C. Chaitanya Kumar Reddy said they have formed a committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding the animal's death.

“The committee consists of two forest range officers. They will investigate and identify the causes, potential negligence by forest staff, human errors, and issues related to electricity department. Our primary goal is to take measures to avoid similar mishaps in the future,” the DFO stated.

Human-elephant conflict has been a persistent issue in erstwhile Chittoor district, resulting in significant casualties on both sides. By 2002, 42 people and 12 elephants had lost their lives. In recent years, the conflict has persisted. This year, four elephants have died due to electrocution, while many people became victims of rogue elephants.

Forest officials have identified some key threats to the elephants, including encroachment, overgrazing by livestock, and illegal wood collection, which force animals to enter human habitations.

Shortage of forest staff responsible for tracking elephants and low-hanging power lines pose significant challenges. Further, the elephant population has witnessed a remarkable increase from eight in 2012 to over 90 today, a forest officer underlined.