CHITTOOR: With increasing human-jumbo conflicts, given the abrupt rise in the population of elephants in the Koundinya Royal Elephant Zone spread across Kuppam, Palamaner and Punganur divisions, the forest authorities in tandem with the Chittoor district administration has stepped up the work to resolve the issue by digging trenches and erecting solar fences across these three divisions, to prevent the elephant attacks.
The authorities have completed around 70 kilometres of solar fencing while trenches stretching 60 kilometres were dug across the Koundinya Wildlife Sanctuary to reduce the frequent elephant footfall in human habitations. According to official records, a total of 10 elephants died while 6 farmers lost their lives in the last three years in the human-elephant conflicts. Also, crop loss in 3,400 incidents was reported in these attacks.
According to official records, the Koundinya Royal Elephant Zone spread across 353 square kilometres, house numerous elephants, while pachyderms from the neighbouring Karnataka and Tamil Nadu states also cross the borders and invade into the wildlife sanctuary.
The unofficial estimates by the officials indicate that the sanctuary has exceeded the carrying capacity of the elephants as the population has seen a significant rise over the year due to favourable conditions and encroachment of jumbos from the Satya Mangalam forests straying into Koundinya sanctuary.
As a result, the jumbos in search of food frequently stray into nearby villages leading to human loss and crop damage.Though the forest department is trying to trap and drive away the elephants into forests using crackers, tom toms and tractors regularly. On most occasions, the process is ending as a futile task resulting in large-scale crop loss to farmers in the region.
Yagamuthi from Gandlapalli at Mogili village in Bangarupaem Mandal, said, “As our village lies abutting the Koundinya elephant zone, which shares its boundary with forest area, the wild animals stray frequently damaging our crops in the village. On Tuesday too, an elephant herd tried to stray into our village.
Fortunately, the elephant fell inside the agriculture well and the timely reaction by the forest officials proved to be a big relief to the villagers. The erection of solar fencing will override the chances of elephants straying into the villages.” Forest minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy instructed the forest officials to set up base camps at various locations to track the elephant movement and alert locals and villagers in the time of elephants venturing into habitations.
These base camps can track the jumbo movement in nearly 78 km inside forests. The minister also sent recommendations to the state govt to increase the financial assistance to farmers incurring crop loss due to elephant attacks and also requested the cen tre to extend assistance from National Disaster Management Fund.