Elephants keep venturing into crop fields, abutting Koundinya Wildlife Sanctuary in Chittoor district.
| Photo Credit: Representative image
A farmer was killed in the attack by an elephant at Kuppanapalle village of Baireddipalle mandal in Chittoor district on December 21, Saturday, morning.
The farmer, identified as Shankarappa (60), took his cattle to a grazing land abutting the Koundinya Wildlife Sanctuary. Around 7.30 a.m., an elephant, which was prowling in the fields nearby, charged at him. The elephant lifted Shankarappa with its trunk and flung him to a distance, before disappearing into the thickets.
Some farmers working the fields nearby shifted Shankarappa to a primary health centre at Baireddipalle. Shankarappa was shifted to Government Area Hospital at Palamaner where he died while undergoing treatment.
Reports suggest that the elephant has been on the prowl in about half a dozen mandals, including Baireddipalle, V. Kota, Palamaner, Peddapanjani, Punganur, and Bangarupalem. Farmers said the movement of the elephant was unpredictable as it chose to move in a radius of over 50 km crisscrossing the fields and highways.
A farmer at Peddapanjani mandal said that an elephant attacked the night shelter in the fields a few days ago and shattered the door, besides killing a cow. “Though we have brought this to the notice of the forest officials, there has been no response so far,” he said.
In another incident, another elephant raided a paddy field at Nerukurivaripalle in Somala mandal on December 18 night and feasted upon paddy kept in the fields, besides damaging a large patch of the standing crop.
Published – December 21, 2024 07:38 pm IST