HASSAN: A herd of 13 wild elephants continued to destroy standing crops around Kanikere village in Alur taluk on Monday. The elephants which entered human habitat from Doddabetta and Umble Betta forest region have been running amok in coffee estates and destroying coffee, cardamom, banana, pepper and paddy at night.
The forest officials have been making futile efforts to drive the elephants back. The villagers and farmers staged a protest alleging official apathy in checking the menace. Though the state government decided to shift the wild elephants after tranquilising them, it was stalled following the filing of a public interest litigation.