Movement of elephants triggers panic among farmers in Maharashtra, Telangana

A herd of about 30 elephants moving through farms in Maharashtra’s Chandrapur district near Kumram Bheem Asifabad sparked panic among locals. Forest officials are monitoring and attempting diversion as farmers fear crop damage and renewed human-elephant conflict

Kumram Bheem Asifabad: An unusual movement of a herd of around 30 elephants through farms triggered panic among locals in Sawali Taluq in Chandrapur district on Monday, raising fresh concerns among farmers who were already wary of elephant incursions.  The fear stems from a tragic incident, where a pachyderm killed two people in Kagaznagar forest division two years ago.

Residents spotted the herd wandering at a lake near Sawali town early in the morning. They recorded the videos of the animals on their mobile phones. They shared the videos on social media platforms. They expressed concern over their safety following the roaming of the tuskers.  They urged the Forest officials to take steps to divert the animals into dense forests and to avoid casualties.

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On receiving information, Forest officials rushed to the farms and began efforts to drive away the jumbos into the wild. They claimed that they were monitoring the movement of the elephants with the help of experts. They said that they were tracking the movement of the pachyderms and steps were being taken to avoid human loss.

Elephants inhabiting Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh are apparently exploring forests of Maharashtra following increased mining activity in the two states. They often migrate to Gadchiroli district of neighboring Maharashtra in search of food and water. They then enter the forests of Chandrapur district. They frequently damage crops such as maize and paddy crops by crushing. Some of them turn aggressive resulting in human fatalities.

In 2024, a lone elephant separated from its herd and then drifted towards the wild of Telangana by crossing Pranahita river. It eventually trampled Alluri Shankar (50) at Burepalli village in Chintalamanepalli mandal before killing Karu Posham (65) at Kondapalli village in Penchikalpet mandal-before being successfully driven back to Maharashtra.

Although no further elephant-man conflicts have occurred since, the memory of the killings continues to haunt farmers. With herds now migrating into neighboring Chandrapur, locals remain anxious about their safety and future of their livelihoods.