Elephant terror: How male tusker is giving sleepless nights to locals in Srikakulam
Proposals have been submitted to the chief conservator of the forest and formal permission was required from the chief wildlife warden to trap the animal.
By Newsmeter Network Published on 21 Jan 2022 10:44 AM GMT
Vizianagaram/ Srikakulam: Forest officials have drawn a two-pronged strategy to prevent wild elephants from killing human beings and destroying crops in Srikakulam and Vizianagaram districts of the state.
It may be recalled that a few days ago, an elephant trampled a 32-year-old-man to death at Duggi village under Komarada Mandal in Vizianagaram district. Identified as N Rajababu, he was working as an elephant tracker.
As a part of the operation, Rajababu went on his duty at Duggi Village to alert the locals in a bid to prevent crop destruction. He noticed the herd of elephants and tried to divert them. But one elephant trampled him to death.
Wild elephants have been creating havoc in parts of Komarada, Garugubilli, and Jiyyamavalasa Mandals in Vizianagaram district for over three years. They destroy standing crops, motor pump sets, and scare away the locals. Farmers fear to venture into their fields due to the threat from the wild elephants.
Not only the crops, but the lives of the farmers are also in danger. Jumbos have killed six farmers and an elephant tracker in the Vizianagaram district in the past few years. Jumbos killed over 10 persons in parts of Srikakulam in the past one decade.
Srikakulam district has five females and one male elephant. Viziangaram has four female elephants. It is the lone male elephant that has been creating havoc in these districts. During the musth season which might run into four to five months, it becomes more violent, forest department sources said.
"Prior to setting up a rescue center, we are planning to isolate the lone male elephant and shift it to Indira Gandhi Zoological Park. That will mitigate the situation to a large extent,'' said Venkatesh, divisional forest officer.
Proposals have been submitted to the chief conservator of the forest and formal permission was required from the chief wildlife warden to trap the animal.
He said the forest personnel are selectively interfering in the movement of the elephants and the 29 trackers have been alerting the villagers on their movement.
The second option before the department is setting up a rescue center at an appropriate place to prevent them from moving into the villages. This requires a huge area with continuous water availability and greenery. Two places have been identified at Chandadingi and Juntukonda in Vizianagaram district where the kral would be set up.
Kumki (trained) elephants and a good number of mahouts drawn from Chittoor or Karnataka were needed to handle them, said the DFO.
The project runs into crores and needs vast stretches of land. Elephants move in 20,000 hectare area, the forest officer said.
"The project is currently being studied at the government level," Venkatesh said.
