A four-member herd of wild elephants from the forests of Karnataka on Sunday night strayed into the forests of Kuppam division and damaged the fields in Gudupalle mandal.
The farmers said that the elephants had been seen in the vicinity of of Agasthya Foundation zone during the last three days, despite the efforts of the forest personnel to drive them back deep inside the forests.
The villagers said that the herd camped in Mallappakonda hillock region in Gudupalle mandal, criss-crossing the borders of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Farmers, who grow the crops of tomato, beans and ragi, are a worried lot.
The forest personnel have tracked the movement of the herd, which would reconnoiter the fields at nights. Trackers were also arranged in an effort to prevent them from invading human habitations at the forest fringe villages.
Divisional Forest Officer T. Chakrapani said that the forest officials from Kuppam rushed to the spot, and drove back the elephants.
Meanwhile, heavy rains in Koundinya wildlife sanctuary in Chittoor district, and in the thick forests of V.Kota, Ramakuppam in Kuppam constituency and its adjoining Maharaja Kadai forests in Tamil Nadu in September and October have resulted in sufficient water sources and fodder to the wild elephants criss-crossing the tri-State junction.
The forest officials said that during the six months, the problem has been reduced to a minmum, thanks to congenial climate to the wildlife. All the check-dams and ponds in the reserve forests abutting the tri-State junction are brimming with water. The question of fodder crisis will also unlikely to arise in the near future.
In spite of the satisfactory scenario in the deep forests, the elephants are known for raiding crops, lured by the paddy and sugarcane fields. Three years ago, the officials counted the figure of wild elephants in tri-State junction at 34. In 2015, three elephants, including a calf, died due to electrocution and confinement.
Generally, the movement of wild elephants criss-crossing Kuppam, Ramakuppam, Gudupalle and Shantipuram towards neighbouring Karnataka and Tamil Nadu becomes a phenomenon between November and January, with reports of extensive crop damages.
