SRIKAKULAM: A farmer was killed and a few others injured, when a herd of elephants attacked them in the agricultural fields between Padali and Duggipuram villages of Hiramandalam mandal in Srikakulam district. The news created panic among the tribals in the nearby villages prompting them to rush home and send an alarm to the forest officials who, in turn, deployed special teams including elephant trackers to drive away the pachyderms.
The victim, Murali (38), along with a few other farmers went to the fields Wednesday morning when the elephants attacked the banana and mango orchards near Padali and Duggipuram villages of Hiramandalam mandal. Though many farmers managed to escape, Murali who tried to climb a tree, was dragged away by the elephants, causing grievous injuries to him.
After sometime, the elephants left the place and the villagers rushed to the spot only to find Murali in a pool of blood. He was rushed to Hiramandalam for treatment but was declared brought dead by the hospital staff.
The arrival of elephants in Hiramandalam area has sent the forest officials into a tizzy as the wild animals usually frequent only Sitampeta and Kotturu mandals. “We suspect that the elephants have drifted to Hiramandalam as they could not get food elsewhere. They left the spot after eating some fruits and branches. However, adequate security measures will be taken to avoid recurrence of such incidents,” said district forest officer B Vijaya Kumar.
The forest officials said that proposals have been sent for resuming the digging of a huge moat along the borders of agency area to restrict the movement of elephants into human habitations.