Forest officials on a wild jumbo chase

The residents of Yarmal and surrounding villages in Belgaum taluk woke up in surprise to find two pachyderms that had strayed on the outskirts on Wednesday.

A huge crowd thronged to catch a glimpse of the jumbos having a field day. Even as they moved closer towards residences, scores of people from Avacharhatti, Masgonhatti, Doganhatti, Yellur and Sulaga villages turned up. Some of them even tried to capture their images on their cell phones.

Bhima Gujanalkar, a resident of Yarmal village, said that he was least worried about the damages caused by them. Elephants were spotted in the nearby K K Koppa village for the first time six years ago, said Yellapa Kshatri.

The Forest officials had a tough time managing the crowd the entire day, which kept interfering in the drive to chase them away to the forests.

The jumbos were pelted with stones and crackers were burst by the onlookers who tried to distract them in vain. But the elephants did not budge from their spot and at times, even charged at the crowd.

Due to inadequate staff, the Forest officials have delayed the driving operation. The pachyderms were last spotted between Vadgaon and Yellur villages.

The villagers have been instructed not to venture out in the night or move closer to them. The operations will resume on Thursday, the officials added.

Deputy Range Forester Nagaraj Nirvani said that a quite atmosphere will facilitate the animals return to their habitat.