Lone elephants stir fear across Chittoor’s inter-State border villages

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A lone elephant seen adjacent   Irala successful  Chittoor district.

A lone elephant seen adjacent Irala successful Chittoor district.

In Chittoor district, wherever the forests of the Koundinya Wildlife Sanctuary merge with workplace landscapes on the borderline with Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, a caller signifier of elephant question is unsettling some villagers and officials. Unlike herd behaviour, lone elephants roam crossed beats, displaying unpredictable and risky question patterns.

At Chittapara bushed successful Gudipala mandal, 2 big antheral elephants person emerged arsenic a funny pair. At times, they determination together, lone to divided and rotation separately, crisscrossing wood terrain and farmlands portion searching for each other. Farmers accidental this erratic question has led to harvest damage. “They don’t travel a fixed route. One nighttime they destruct banana plantations, different nighttime they walk done paddy fields,” said a farmer, Moghilaiah.

In Bangarupalem mandal, 3 lone elephants are moving separately, raiding crops astatine nighttime and retreating by dawn. In the Palamaner range, 2 much lone elephants person been reported. A azygous elephant was sighted successful Ramakuppam mandal, causing harm to mango and coconut groves.

Meanwhile, 2 lone elephants are progressive adjacent the Pulicherla–Kallur junction successful Annamayya district, adjacent to the Seshachalam Hills.

Farmers accidental the fearfulness extends beyond crops, recalling past quality casualties successful lone elephant encounters. “We are frightened to measurement retired aboriginal greeting oregon aft dusk,” said Seethapathi, different husbandman successful Pulicharla.

Forest Range Officer (Chittoor) M. Pattabhi said: “Despite the beingness of respective lone elephants, determination is nary large harvest harm reported. Our unit is monitoring movements and alerting villagers. We program to thrust them deeper into forests without deploying kumkis.”

Published - March 20, 2026 06:58 p.m. IST

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