TIRUPATI: A bachelor herd of three wild elephants has lumbered all the way to Tiruchanoor—for the first time in recent history—late on Wednesday. Forest officials monitoring the movement of the elephants said they have strayed into a compound near Fortune Ritz Hotel besides Shilparamam (Urban Haat). They are currently at Durgasamudram and are heading towards Mungilipattu.
A bachelor herd is formed by juvenile male animals, who are sexually immature or have left their parent groups and are on the lookout for new families.The elephants left the Koundinya Wildlife Sanctuary, located on the AP-Karnataka border, almost a month ago and since then have been wandering in Chittoor district. Officials said they moved through Puttur, Srikalahasti, Karvetinagaram and Renigunta, adding they have not caused any damage to crops or human life.
Speaking to TNIE, Tirupati DFO Pavan Kumar said, “The herd started moving close to Tirupati city on Wednesday morning and left the city in the night. After staying in Srikalahasti and Karvetinagaram forest areas for almost 20-25 days, the elephant herd began moving towards their home in Koundinya Sanctuary. On their way back, the elephants are coming close to human habitations.” The DFO said rising population is a reason behind the elephants moving out.
Explaining the reason behind the elephants moving out of the sanctuary, Kumar said, “With the population of elephants increasing in Koundinya Wildlife Sanctuary over the past few years, conflicts for food and water among the pachyderms are also on the rise.”
He said growing human intervention in the forests, such as crop cultivation, laying of roads and power cables, might have also led to the elephants stray out of their habitat. “As their movement suggests that they are moving South, towards the sanctuary, we believe they are heading home to reunite with their parent herd.”