Andhra Pradesh: Wild tuskers from Karnataka playing truant in Kuppam fields

Elephant trackers finding it difficult to drive them back into their habitat, say forest personnel

The forest department personnel of the Kuppam range in Chittoor district have been on alert for the past fortnight as two wild tuskers from the Kolar division of Karnataka are giving sleepless nights to farmers.

The duo entered the district at Ramakuppam forest enclosure after negotiating the rocky terrain of the KGF belt. As a rule, tuskers damage crops on their way from one place to another, but in the present case, the two elephants are camping inside the forest in the daytime and raiding crops at night. This has made it difficult for officials to keep a track of their movements.

It is a rarity that the elephant trackers are finding it a Herculean task to drive the duo back into their habitat, the forest personnel said. At present, the fields abutting the Koundinya wildlife sanctuary have crops from groundnut, tomato, and some vegetable varieties.

Forest Range Officer (Kuppam) K. Madan Mohan Reddy, who has been leading a team of forest staff and elephant trackers for a fortnight, explained that it is not easy to drive a lone elephant, two animals, or a bachelor’s group (three) back into their habitats like handling a wild herd.

“The two tuskers are getting separated frequently, opting for individual directions, during crop raids at night. By dawn, they are rejoining in the forest. We can predict the movement of a herd, but not of a loner. Members of a herd avoid charging at their pursuers during crop raids, but we can’t trifle with individual animals as they charge without provocation,” the FRO said.

Mr. Madan Mohan Reddy said that the field staff of the department was promptly inspecting the crop losses to submit the reports to the higher officials for providing compensation to the farmers.

“We have appealed to farmers to not tease the animals or venture to drive them into the thickets without the participation of the elephant trackers. We also sought the farmers to avoid wearing white-colored garments at fields and avoid night vigils. We hope to accomplish the task with these two tuskers in a couple of days,” the forest officer said.