Efforts on to divert rogue elephant to Maharashtra: Forest official

Kawal Tiger Reserve Field Director S Shantharam aid the movement of the tusker was being tracked by around 70 staffers of the forest department round the clock.

Kumram Bheem Asifabad: Kawal Tiger Reserve Field Director S Shantharam said that efforts were being made to drive the rogue elephant to Maharashtra using various means. Speaking to newsmen along with District Forest Officer Neeraj Kumar Tebriwal on Thursday at Bejjur, Shantharam said that the male elephant belonging to Odisha living lonely since four years entered the Telangana forest areas after crossing Pranahita river. He said the movement of the tusker was being tracked by around 70 staffers of the forest department round the clock. Villagers were advised not to venture outdoors in wake of movement of the rogue tusker which trampled two farmers in a gap of 24 hours.

He said Section 144 of CrPC was imposed in Chintalamanepalli, Bejjur, Penchikalpet and Dahegaon mandals to prevent human loss. Two drone cameras were already being used to track the movement of the tusker, while thermal drones were being brought from Hyderabad to trace the pachyderm at night. The elephant was walking briskly, covering a distance of anywhere between 20 to 30 kms a day.

He said a team with expertise in chasing the elephants was being summoned from Maharashtra. The team going to be roped in to make efforts to send away the wild animal, predicted that the elephant would step out of the borders of Telangana and go back to Maharashtra by crossing Penganga river by Thursday night. People of the villages likely to be strayed by the elephant were alerted.

He added that the food including sugarcane and fruits were kept ready in Karjelli forest range, anticipating the animal’s return on a path which moved towards Kondapalli where it trampled to death Karu Posham (60), early on Thursday morning after killing Alluri Shankar (50) at Burepalli village in Chintalamanepalli village on Wednesday afternoon.