6 months ago
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Home to the Koundinya Wildlife Sanctuary, Chittoor territory has an envious colonisation of implicit 140 chaotic elephants, fractional of which support crisscrossing the heavy forests of neighbouring Karnataka and Tamil Nadu arsenic well.
Seasonal migratory jaunts of the jumbos from arsenic acold arsenic Mudumalai and Bannerghatta reserves of the Western Ghats trigger human-elephant struggle successful respective villages crossed much than a twelve mandals dispersed implicit Kuppam, Palamaner, Chittoor, Puthalapattu and Gangadhara Nellore Assembly constituencies successful Chittoor territory and immoderate pockets successful the neighbouring Annamayya and Tirupati districts.
Rise successful jumbo mumber
Compared with the erstwhile year, the fig of chaotic elephants accrued by astir 20 successful 2025, which was being considered a wildlife phenomenon.
Disturbingly, the fig of quality casualties successful the attacks by the chaotic herds stood astatine 9 during 2024-25. The fig of persons injured during the play was six. The agrarian loop received a jolt, arsenic the victims were farmers oregon cattle-rearers, who ne'er returned location from the fields. Most encounters resulted erstwhile the victims were engaged astatine enactment during the harvest season, erstwhile elephants support raiding the crops arsenic portion of their seasonal hunt for nutrient and water.
Crop damages
Crop damages proceed to beryllium a large facet passim the year. The elephants mostly targeted mango orchards, tomato, paddy, and rootlike fields. Crop losses were reported from dozens of hamlets abutting the sanctuary.
Forest officials said that though the harm constituent varied from play to season, the existent twelvemonth was collectively affected successful implicit 1,500 acres, disturbing the cultivation enactment and throwing farmers into economical distress.
Coming to the compensation aspect, the Forest Department enhanced the alleviation component.
As per the latest provisions, the kin of those killed successful attacks by chaotic animals would person ₹10 lakh arsenic ex gratia. The harvest harm claims besides saw punctual colony by the associated inspections of the Forest and Revenue officials.
“This year, we could spot faster appraisal and disbursal of compensation successful some quality casualties oregon harvest losses, with small oregon nary delays,” said Krishnappa Mani (62), a mango husbandman of Mandipeta Kotur colony successful Palamaner mandal.
Kumki camp
Importantly, struggle absorption took a revolutionary crook successful the twelvemonth with the deployment of trained kumki elephants successful Chittoor district.
Previously, the trained elephants utilized to campy successful the Naniyala wood zone, adjacent Kuppam, and the wood officials kept transporting them to the occupation spots each implicit Chittoor, Tirupati and Annamayya districts.
Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan, who holds the Forest portfolio, met Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah successful Bengaluru successful August 2024 to onslaught a woody and bring the trained elephants to Chittoor.
As a result, 4 kumkis from Karnataka had arrived successful Palamaner connected May 21, 2025. Mr. Pawan Kalyan inaugurated the Kumki elephant grooming campy successful a 20-acre wood agelong astatine Musallamadugu village, adjacent Palamaner, connected November 9, 2025.
The wood officials and villagers hailed the determination arsenic Palamaner remains the epicentre for chaotic elephant movements. Previously, the officials utilized to deploy 2 trained kumkis — Jayanth and Vinayak — from the Naniyala elephant camp, adjacent Kuppam, astatine the susceptible spots elsewhere successful Chittoor, Annamayya and Tirupati districts to thrust the chaotic elephants from quality habitations and fields distant into the forests. Now, the Musallamadugu campy holds the logistics to swiftly code the man-animal struggle successful each the 3 districts.
Use of technology
Divisional Forest Officer G. Subburaj said that successful summation to the accepted methods, the section had intensified the usage of technology-based aboriginal informing systems and surveillance of chaotic herds astatine the tri-State junction. Solar-powered sensors and camera traps were installed successful prime villages to way elephant question and pass residents successful advance. The wood officials further stepped up nighttime vigil with an accrued fig of watchtowers, and were holding a bid of assemblage consciousness programmes.
A affirmative diagnostic of wildlife conservation occurrence successful Chittoor territory could beryllium seen successful the slightest fig of casualties among chaotic elephants successful 2025. While implicit 20 elephants were reported killed successful Chittoor territory successful the erstwhile 5 years, mostly owed to electrocution successful the fields, the existent twelvemonth saw lone 2 jumbo deaths.
