Andhra Pradesh: Chittoor District in grip of fear amid series of wild Jumbo attacks

Within the span of one month four persons were killed in various jumbo mammals herd attacks in Chittoor District. It has created a panic situation among the people who were living in nearby forest villages. Due to a series of attacks on wild elephants in TamilNadu Sulagiri forest area and Karnataka, those wild animal herds were entered into Chittoor District a week ago. From that day forest officials and elephant trackers are spending sleepless nights tracking and sending them back again towards Tamil Nadu forest. For the last one month four persons including two farmers died in a wild elephants attack. Previously jumbos menace was confined to Kuppam, VKota, Ramakuppam and Palamaner Koundinya forest. Now this issue was spread across the district in various mandals like Renigunta, Yerravaripalem, KarvetiNagaram, PuthalaPattu and other mandals too.

More wild elephants have been moving in and around forest villages in night time as part of searching for feed. During that time wild elephants herds vandalised the crops and agricultural water pump sets in the fields.

According to information, this new jumbos herd was entered into the district two weeks ago following the increasing attacks on them in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka forest.

As per the official version only three wild elephant herds were in the district in Koundinya and Talakona forest area. Now the situation has turned as worsen by the entering of new wild elephant herds as two groups in addition to existing elephant herds which were in western forest. This burring issue has been continuing as a long pending unsolved problem. The Forest Department is trying to set up solar fencing at a few places to curb the elephants movements towards dwelling areas, along the forest border areas where the chances for elephants crisscross the roads one side to another side.

Farmers are losing their crops like paddy, banana, beans, tomato and other vegetables as well as mango and sugarcane crops. So far around 1,110 acres of different crops were damaged by the elephant herds in the district during the last two months. Despite that officials are saying to live together with the elephant herd , because more than 60 elephants have been found recently in western forest areas of the Chittoor District.

Chittoor West DFO Ravi Sankar said that farmers and villagers should protect themselves from the Jumbos and at the same time they have to safeguard the elephants as part of following the forest department rules and regulations.