People of six hamlets in Ramakuppam mandal of Kuppam constituency are in constant fear, with no respite to wild elephants raiding standing crops.
On Tuesday night, a 13-member herd ravaged crops at PMK Thanda, S. Gollapalle and Veernamala and lingered in the fields till the early hours of Wednesday, leaving farmers panicky.
Crop raids by wild elephants in the middle of the year are rare.After the Shankranti festival, the farmers would heave a sigh of relief. However, there has been a drastic shift in the behaviour of wild elephants since 2013.
Divisional Forest Officer (Chittoor) Mr. T. Chakrapani rushed to Ramakuppam on Tuesday night and visited all vulnerable villages. Meanwhile, residents of tribal thandas said solar fencing had been damaged at several places, making it easy for elephants to enter the hamlets.
