CHITTOOR: In a span of 10 days, two more people were killed in an elephant attack in Chittoor district. A lone wild tusker on a rampage, trampled a couple and a cow to death at 109 Ramapuram village in Gudipala Mandal near the Andhra Pradesh-Tamil Nadu border early on Wednesday. Following the incident, a youngster, who tried to take a selfie with the elephant, was also attacked.
According to forest department officials, the deceased, identified as Venkatesh (50) and Selvi (48), were residents of the SC Colony in Ramapuram village.
They were working in their field at the time of the incident. Locals ran to save their lives on noticing the elephant.
Chief Conservator of Forests P Nageswara Rao rushed to the spot after learning about the tragic incident.
Stating that the pachyderm separated from its herd in Tamil Nadu and strayed into the villages in Andhra Pradesh, Rao explained, “The tusker exhibited highly-aggressive behaviour. We have deployed additional staff, along with local police, to bring the situation under control and prevent any further loss of life or damage to property. We are also taking the help of a trained elephant (Kumki) to chase the tusker into the forests.”
Meanwhile, local villagers staged a protest on the national highway, alleging that the forest department’s failure to take timely action led to the couple’s death.
Forest officials have been facing perennial tusker menace in fringe forest areas bordering Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
On August 20, a 45-year-old man was crushed to death by an elephant at Punganur in Peddapanjani mandal when he unknowingly crossed paths with a herd.
Jumbo menace keeps villagers on their toes
In another incident, a herd of elephants ravaged banana plantations and other crops across large stretches of land and stormed towards a bustling crowd of locals at Diguva Marumuru village and surrounding hamlets under Kolamasanpalli panchayat in Palamaner constituency on February 28.
A farmer from Diguva Marumuru, M Ramana Reddy said villagers were living in constant fear as wild tuskers frequently strayed into human habitations and destroyed crops. Further, he alleged that the forest officials were not taking steps to control it.