MADIKERI: Over 30 elephants were found roaming and herded across the estate limits in Badaga Banangala village in Kodagu. The incident came to light when the forest department took up the mission to chase away the elephants, following complaints of elephant menace in the surrounding regions.
The villagers, including estate growers, complained to the department about increased elephant movement across the estate limits. Following this, the forest department staff from the Thithimathi division kick-started the mission to chase all the wild elephants back to the forest. During the mission, the foresters spotted over 30 wild elephants herded within the estate and village limits. The foresters faced a challenging situation as the estates were moist and slushy following a downpour. Nevertheless, the numerous separate herds of elephants were guided into the forest area. However, officials confirmed that a couple of herds did not budge from the estates as these herds had calves.
The mission to track the elephant was led by RFO Gangadhar along with other team members. The Rapid Response Team has been halted at the spot to track the movement of the elephant herds that are still staying within the estate limits. Meanwhile, the growers in the region shared that they face numerous problems, and the elephant menace is worsening it.