ADILABAD: Maharashtra forest officials on Friday alerted their counterparts in the Komaram Bheem Asifabad district regarding the movement of a herd of seven wild elephants near the state borders. The herd is heading toward Telangana and is currently in the Aheri area of the Gadchiroli district in Maharashtra, approximately 30 km from the Telangana border.
Forest officials notified residents of bordering villages, referred to as ‘Dandora,’ about the elephants' movement and advised forest and revenue officials to remain vigilant if they encounter the elephants.
In April this year, a wild elephant entered the Kagaznagar forest division and killed two people.
Soyam Chinnanna of Salugupalli in Bejjur mandal said that Maharashtra forest officials have just alerted their Telangana counterparts about the movement of wild elephants. He mentioned that while it is unpredictable whether the elephants will enter Telangana, it is prudent to prepare for the situation.
Chinnanna noted that the elephants are expected to cross the Chinnavatra-Peddavatra villages on the other side of Peddavagu or Lakkamedala Gutta. However, he emphasised that controlling wild elephants is a challenging task and that forest officials lack the necessary expertise to manage it effectively.
A male sub-adult wild elephant had previously strayed into the Kagaznagar forest division, resulting in the deaths of Karu Pochaiah, 50, from Kondapalli village in Penchikalpet mandal, and Alluri Shankar, 45, from Burepalli village in Chinthalamanepalli mandal. These incidents occurred within a span of just 24 hours.
