Farmer on night vigil killed in attack by 16-member herd of wild elephants in Andhra Pradesh's Chittoor district
The incident triggered panic in several villages in the vicinity, as the herd was reportedly camping at a water body nearby.
As per information, the herd emerged from the nearby thickets, strayed into the field, and attacked the unsuspecting victim who was on night vigil. The sudden charge left the farmer helpless. The villagers informed the forest officials that the herd had been resorting to crop raids after dusk for the last three days.
Pawan condoles death
Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan condoled the farmer's death and expressed solidarity with the family members. He announced that ex gratia would be given, and directed that the forest officials initiate corrective measures to prevent wild elephants from venturing into human habitations.
Meanwhile, the incident led to angry protests on Sunday, with the villagers staging a blockade on the Tirupati-Punganur Road along with the body of the farmer, blaming the Forest Department for its 'gross negligence.'
Raising slogans such as 'where are the Kumki elephants,' the villagers urged Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Mr. Pawan Kalyan to immediately intervene and do justice to the bereaved family. They demanded that a scientific action plan be worked out to put an end to the vexed man-animal conflict in the western mandals of the district.
The villagers alleged that despite their repeated alerts about the movement of the wild elephants, there was no tangible action from the Forest Department.
Senior forest officials rushed to Kothuru and pacified the agitators by assuring them compensation and corrective measures. The farmer's body was later shifted to the area hospital for autopsy.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
7 hours ago
- The Hindu
Forest Dept. grants permission to capture one more elephant in Karnataka's Chikkamagaluru dist.
The Forest Department has granted permission to capture one more elephant roaming in the villages of N.R. Pura taluk of Karnataka's Chikkamagaluru district. The department staff captured an elephant on July 29, following the incidents of human-elephant conflicts in the region. Prabhash Chandra Ray, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), issued an order on Saturday granting permission to capture a tusker, aged around 25 to 30, as per the Wildlife (Conservation) Act, 1972. MLA for Sringeri T.D. Raje Gowda had met Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre and appealed to him to grant permission to capture the trouble-causing elephant. Conservator of Forests of Chikkamagaluru, Yashpal Kshirasagar, had submitted a proposal seeking permission to capture the elephant that caused damage to crops and left the local people worried. The Forest Department captured a tusker on July 29, following protests by local people in N.R. Pura condemning the repeated incidents of human-elephant conflict in the region. The local people hit the streets of Balehonnur in N.R. Pura taluk on July 28, as two people had died in elephant attacks within a gap of four days. The department had given permission for the capture and relocation of one elephant. A team of officials succeeded in capturing a 15-year-old elephant near Elekallu in N.R. Pura taluk. The local people were anticipating that one more trouble-causing elephant would be captured. However, the PCCF had not granted permission to capture one more elephant.
India Today
a day ago
- India Today
Chhattisgarh man ties python to bike with rope, drags it along road in viral video
A disturbing video of a man dragging a python tied to a rope behind his bike in Chhattisgarh's Kanker district has prompted anger over animal video, which has now gone viral on social media, shows the python being pulled along a road as the man rides away, seemingly unfazed by the suffering of the reptile. The incident is being widely condemned on social media, with users calling for strict punishment under wildlife protection the video here: According to reports, the act took place in a rural part of Kanker, and many locals are said to be equally shocked and angered after the video have yet to release an official statement, but wildlife activists and citizens alike are urging the Forest Department and local police to identify the man and take immediate action under the Wildlife Protection Act, which prohibits the capture and cruelty toward protected species like pythons.(With inputs from Gaurav Srivastava)- Ends
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Hindustan Times
Jharkhand: Man, daughter awarded for bravery in rescuing tiger that entered their house
The Forest Department of the Jharkhand government on Friday felicitated a man and his daughter for their bravery in the rescue of a tiger, which entered their home. A rescue team from the Palamau Tiger Reserve (PTR) reached the location and successfully caged the animal.(Representational) A male tiger had entered the house of Purandar Mahto in Mardu village in Muri police station area, around 4.30 am on June 25. Mahto's daughter Sonika Kumari and another girl tactfully managed to exit the house, an official said. Mahto, along with his daughter, then locked the door from the outside. After locking the animal inside the house, he informed the Forest Department. A rescue team from the Palamau Tiger Reserve (PTR) reached the location and successfully caged the animal, he said. The next day, the tiger was released in the PTR, he added. Mahto and his daughter, a class 10 student, were given a cheque of ₹1.20 lakh for their bravery, and a separate cheque of ₹21,000 for their contribution in forest promotion and conservation on the occasion of 76th Van Mahotsav in Ranchi. Assembly Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahato handed over the cheques in the presence of Parliamentary Affairs Minister Radhakrishna Kishore and other dignitaries. Addressing the programme, the speaker said pollution is on the rise because the number of trees is declining. "This is everyone's duty to plant trees and make our atmosphere pollution-free," he said. Kishore, who is also the state finance minister, said Jharkhand has around 30 per cent forest cover, which used to be between 45 and 55 per cent in 1960-70. "There has been a decline in the forest cover. We need to plant trees and increase the forest cover as it was in the past," he said.
