Elephants spotted near Somanahalli

Residents spotted the elephants on the banks of the Shimsha on Sunday and informed the Forest Department.

Three elephants were sighted on the banks of the Shimsha near Somanahalli in Maddur taluk of the district early on Sunday.

While the Forest Department began an operation to drive back the elephants to the forest at 7 a.m., it did not yield results till evening as the herd was disturbed by people.

Separated from herd

The forest officials suspect that the elephants entered the village from the Sathanur or Dhanagur Reserve Forest areas. They said that the elephants might have got separated from a herd and entered human habitat.

The local residents noticed them playing in the water at 5.30 a.m. and informed the Forest Department.