Wild elephants give a slip to forest staff
Services of tamed pachyderms used
The forest department did not succeed on Monday in chasing a herd of wild elephants which has been camping near an estate at Kadagadalu, near Madikeri for the last three months.
The herd was spotted at Rose Valley estate, Modoor Estate, Korthi Kaadu and surrounding areas.
The officials have using the services of six tamed elephants from Dubare and Aanekadu elephant camps to drive the rogue elephants back to the forest. The services of Vikram, Gopi, Harsha and Theertha, who had taken part in Dasara jamboo savari procession, were also utilised.
The forest department officials started the operation on Monday morning, but did not spot any of the rogue elephants. Earlier, the authorities had burst crackers to chase away the elephants.
Speaking to Deccan Herald, DRFO Raghava said that the pachyderms do not move frequently during day time. They would have been hiding inside the estates. We will continue the operation, till they are driven back to the forest.
The operation against wild elephants was led by RFO Acchappa. “With the spotting of wild elephants, the estate labourers are worried over their life. We are working under fear of the elephant attack. In fact, we are scared to send our children to schools,” said labourer Oman.
She said the wild elephants must be forced back to the forest, for the safety of the villagers and the labourers.
DH News Service
