For the last three days, a four-member elephant herd has been keeping the Forest Department personnel on their toes in Pernambut forest range.
The herd, which has been straying into Bathalapalli village and raiding crops at night, gave the personnel a scare when it chased them during the early hours of Thursday.
From Andhra Pradesh
According to officials, the four-member herd comprising two female adults, a tusker and a calf has been straying into the village for the last three days. It had come from Andhra Pradesh Government’s elephant sanctuary adjoining the Kembasamuthiram Reserve Forest.
A 12-member team of Pernambut Forest Range officers led by range officer in-charge Muralidharan has been closely monitoring the movement of the herd and chasing it into the forest at night.
“For the last three nights, we have been continuously chasing the animals into the forest. There are elephant-proof trenches at the boundary of the Reserve Forest. But we saw the animals crossing the trench at places where the soil was loose,” an officer said.
The personnel also took to other ways to keep the herd away from straying into human habitation. “We mixed tobacco with chilli powder and burnt it. The odour emanating from this powder will keep the animals away,” he added.
Nevertheless, the herd continued their raids at night. It was the mangoes that drew their attention.
“This is the season for mangoes. The elephants have damaged a few mango and paddy crops. At about 2.30 a.m. on Thursday, the team led by the range officer spotted the animals raiding a mango grove. We tried to chase the animals into the forest, but the angry herd started to chase the personnel. A few of our team members fell down. It was a close escape from the elephants,” he said.
The Forest Department has cautioned villagers from venturing into the forest at night. “We have created awareness among the villagers by distributing pamphlets and through public addressing system fitted on auto rickshaws. We have asked them not to sleep in their agriculture fields at night,” the officer added.
For the last three nights, they have been continuously chasing the animals into the forest
