Elephant herd at Palappilly refuses to return to forest
The Hindu
Trapped rubber-tappers have miraculous escape
A herd of around 45 elephants camping near human-inhabited areas at Palappilly in Thrissur for the past few days refused to move back to the forest on Tuesday as well.
Some rubber-tapping workers had a miraculous escape on Tuesday morning after they were trapped between two herds of elephants. One herd had damaged a fish shop at Palappilly centre and standing crops near Kuttippalam on Monday.
Though the forest officials had been making efforts to send the jumbos back to the forest, the animals did not seem to be in a mood to return. Firecrackers burst by local residents and forest workers in an attempt to scare them away too did not yield the desired result. The forest officials said the elephants “got used to the sounds.”
Though the presence of elephant herds is common in the Palappilly area, they usually do not come near human habitations. However, this time, they came come close to the houses of rubber tappers and shops at Palappily centre in broad daylight.
Drinking water scarcity in the forest is cited to be the main reason for the elephants to stray near the human-inhabited areas, according to local residents.
As Palappilly is located on the way to the Chimmini dam, a known tourist destination in Thrissur district, the forest officials face the double task of ensuring the safety of tourists along with sending the elephants back to the forest.
The election authorities are gearing up for the counting of votes cast in the simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh, scheduled to be held on June 4. The Collectors and Election Officers of Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli and Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) districts said on May 23 (Thursday) that their teams were ready for the counting of votes.
Responding to the prolonged water scarcity, the residents of the area took to the streets in protest on Wednesday. The protest, which drew attention to their plight, stopped only after the intervention of the police. It was not until 1.30 p.m. that a 4000-litre tanker was finally delivered by BWSSB, providing relief to the water-starved residents.