Wild elephant herd driven back into T.N. forests after two-month tension in Chittoor district

A two-month spell of tension in the villages of Gudipala mandal in Chittoor district ended on Friday night after forest officials successfully drove back a 13-member herd of wild elephants into the forests of Tamil Nadu through a coordinated Kumki operation.

The herd had strayed into a forested valley along the inter-State border in the first week of January and frequently raided crops in Panatur and Muthavallur villages. The elephants, along with two calves born during their stay in the valley, often moved close to houses at night, leaving villagers anxious for several weeks.

Forest Range Officer Chittoor M. Pattabhi said four trained Kumki elephants were deployed at the mouth of the valley on the night of March 7. “The moment the herd emerged, the operation began. By the early hours of March 8, the elephants moved into the Tamil Nadu forests,” he said.

However, the herd remained close to the border till the evening of March 13, prompting forest teams to continue monitoring the area. After confirmation that the elephants had moved deeper into the Tamil Nadu forests, the operation was formally concluded.

Agriculture and horticulture crops worth about ₹15 lakh were damaged during the period. A 40-member forest team camped in the villages in shifts, tracking the herd’s nightly movement between the valley and the surrounding fields.

With the threat receding, villagers bid farewell to the Kumki team and mahouts, offering prayers to the trained elephants before they returned to their base camp at Palamaner. “Despite rumours of LPG shortage, villagers voluntarily provided cooking gas cylinders and even prepared special food for the Kumkis. Their support made the operation memorable,” Mr. Pattabhi said.