Elephant herd movement triggers panic along Maharashtra-Telangana border

A herd of 32 wild elephants has triggered panic among farmers in villages along the Maharashtra-Telangana border. The elephants reportedly damaged crops in Maharashtra after crossing the Wainganga river, prompting forest officials to deploy teams and surveillance measures.

Kumram Bheem Asifabad: Movement of a herd of over 30 wild elephants has triggered panic among farmers in villages along the Maharashtra-Telangana border.

Reports indicated that a herd of 32 elephants had been moving in the Karoli, Akapur, Gowara and Murmadi Gulbhuj areas of Sawli taluq of Chandrapur district for the past three days. The herd reportedly has been damaging paddy, cotton and other crops, causing losses to farmers. The elephants in Chhattisgarh strayed into Sawli after crossing the Wainganga river on September 22.

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Farmers of not only Chandrapur district, but also this district, expressed concern over the movement of the elephants. Their fear stemmed from a tragic incident that occurred two years ago in the Kagaznagar forest division, where an elephant trampled two people to death. They urged officials to keep a watch on the pachyderms and prevent crop damage and human loss.

Forest officials from Maharashtra said that a team of experts was deployed to monitor the movement of the elephants. They noted that preventive measures such as drone surveillance, setting fire trenches and creating smoke using chilli powder were being taken.

The officials advised farmers not to provoke the elephants by clicking photographs or recording videos. They cautioned the villagers to stay indoors at night, warning that the elephants could turn ferocious and tend to attack humans.

In 2024, a lone elephant separated from its herd and then drifted towards the forests of Telangana after crossing the Pranahita river. It eventually trampled Alluri Shankar (50) to death at Burepalli village in Chintalamanepalli mandal before killing Karu Posham (65) at Kondapalli village in Penchikalpet mandal.

The incident remains fresh in the memory of farmers, heightening fears with the herd roaming in the border district. Forest officials from this district said that they were coordinating with their counterparts in Chandrapur. They informed that they were also closely monitoring the movement of the elephants.