A mother elephant, part of a 13-member wild herd from Tamil Nadu forests, was electrocuted in Nallagutta forest belt of Ramakuppam mandal of Kuppam constituency in the district on Friday. The herd is moving in close proximity of the carcass with continuous trumpeting, creating panic among the surrounding villages.
The man-animal habitat conflict in Kuppam area, the tri-state junction spreading into Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, has so far claimed the lives of 28 elephants in the last three decades in accidents such as electrocutions and train mishaps. The conflict during the same period had also led to the death of over 50 persons, mostly farmers.
The incident occurred around 2 am on Friday, when the herd ventured near the tribal hamlet. The female elephant came in contact with a live wire set up as noose for wild boars and antelopes by local residents, resulting in its death. From the small hours, the trumpeting of the herd echoed across the forest and the forest fringe villages.
Divisional Forest Officer (Chittoor) T. Chakrapani, told The Hindu that an hour before the mishap, the forest watchers escaped from the attack by the herd. "Our watchers were deep in the forest when suddenly the herd started chasing them. Fortunately, our men had escaped. The live wire was arranged clandestinely from 11KV line passing through the forest. Our men have identified some persons responsible for the death of elephant. We are booking them under Wildlife Protection Act 1972," he said. He said though he had warned the Rural Electrification Department to insulate the power lines passing through the forests, it was not done.
Meanwhile, villagers from surrounding hamlets and all over Kuppam thronged the forest location to have a look at the mammoth carcass. The forest and police personnel had a tough time in controlling the crowds, as the rest of the herd was moving within a 200 meters distance of the spot. The forest officials brought a JCB to the spot, and arranged burial of the carcass, after postmortem.
Forest Range Officer (Kuppam) M. Reddappa warned the residents of the vulnerable villages to be alert during nights due to possibility of the herd lingering around the accident spot for some days. "We found that it gave birth to a baby a couple of months ago," he added.
