Young Elephant’s Death Exposes Wildlife Crisis in Chittoor District

Tirupati: Recent discovery of an elephant's carcass near Pulibonupalle in Yerravaripalem mandal has once again brought into spotlight the escalating wildlife crisis in the erstwhile Chittoor district.

Forest officials found the body of an approximately six-year-old elephant on Sunday, around four days after it died in an area adjacent to the Talakona forest.

While the exact cause of death will be known after the post-mortem report is received, authorities suspect the demise could be due to electrocution. If so, this will be the second tragedy in the region. In the previous case, a young elephant died after it chewed up a country-made bomb.

Chittoor district is home to Koundinya Wildlife Sanctuary and Seshachalam forests. The district is grappling with an alarming trend of elephant deaths. Established in 1990 following the migration of elephants from neighbouring states, elephants in Koundinya sanctuary are facing multiple threats, including human encroachment, deforestation and insufficient resources for animals.

According to sources, between 2010 and 2024, approximately 46 jumbos have met tragic ends due to hazards including electrocution, rail and road accidents, apart from human-wildlife conflicts.

In 2011, a pregnant elephant fell into a well. Multiple electrocutions of elephants have been reported from 2013 to 2015. A railway accident in 2019 claimed the lives of eight jumbos. More recently in 2023, three elephants died in a collision with a mini-lorry. Another got electrocuted.

The recent synchronised elephant census in south India estimated the current elephant population in erstwhile Chittoor district as between 90 and 110, with an equivalent number of migrants. However, this population is facing numerous dangers.

Forest officials attribute the human-animal conflict to factors like insufficient fodder in forests due to overgrazing, leading to elephants raiding nearby crops. Poaching and illegal electric fences are exacerbating the situation. This apart, elephants also face electrocution due to sagging power lines and road accidents near Koundinya Sanctuary.

To check road accidents, forest department has proposed construction of underpasses along the Tirupati-Bengaluru highway. District forest officer (DFO) C. Chaitanya Kumar Reddy recently revealed that the issue of underpasses is under consideration of the central highway and forest authorities.

"We expect the work to commence soon. Among the underpasses, there will be one 1.9-kilometres long, probably the longest in India, in the Tirupati ghat section, the DFO disclosed.