Rogue elephant returns to Maharashtra after three-day stay in Telangana

Forest officials, in a statement, said that the wild tusker entered the forests of Aheri range in neighboring Maharashtra after crossing Pranahita river at Jilleda village in Penchikalpet mandal on Saturday morning.

Kumram Bheem Asifabad: The rogue elephant has finally returned to Maharashtra from where it has strayed into Telangana and panicked locals after trampling two farmers to death in Kagaznagar forest division in a gap of 24 hours. The development brought relief to the forest officials and the public as well.

Forest officials, in a statement, said that the wild tusker entered the forests of Aheri range in neighboring Maharashtra after crossing Pranahita river at Jilleda village in Penchikalpet mandal on Saturday morning. The forest officials of Maharashtra confirmed the arrival of the pachyderm into their area, the statement read. The officials met near Pranahita and exchanged information about the movement of the animal.

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The lone male tusker drifted towards Telangana after getting separated from its herd moving in Gadchiroli district of the neighboring state in search of water and food on Wednesday afternoon. Its entry created a flutter in the district which saw the sighting of the elephant for the first time.

However, it wreaked havoc in this region as it trampled two farmers Alluri Shankar (55) and Karu Pocham (64) to death in two separate incidents on Wednesday and early on Thursday morning. Locals were shocked by the consecutive deaths caused by the mammoth and did not step outdoors fearing being attacked by the blockbuster.

In its three-day long stay in the forests known for migration of tigers from Maharashtra, the 11-feet long giant has not only claimed lives of two farmers belonging to Burepalli village in Chintalamanepalli mandal and Kondapalli of Penchikalpet, but also kept forest officials on tenterhooks by constantly moving from one place to another mostly at nights.

Joint teams of forest, revenue and police departments were formed to tackle the unusual menace of the wild trumpeter. Expert chasing teams were summoned from West Bengal and special drone operators were drawn from Maharashtra. The teams spent sleepless nights in tracking the movement of the jumbo in perilous Karjelli, Bejjur and Penchikalpet forest ranges for three days.

The teams led by Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Mohan Pargaien and Kawal Tiger Reserve field director S Shatharam played a vital role in sending the tusker back to its habit by supervising the operation by visiting the fields and coordinating with officials of various departments.