Crop damage by elephants in Maharashtra trigger concerns for farmers in Telangana

The farmers have also requested officials to take preventive measures to prevent straying of the elephants into their fields. They fear that the elephants might damage crops besides killing humans

Kumram Bheem Asifabad: Widespread damage to standing crops by a herd of wild elephants in Gadchiroli district of the neighbouring Maharashtra has become a cause for concern for farmers in this district, which witnessed killing of two humans by an elephant in 2024.

The elephant had drifted into the forests here by crossing the Pranahita river after getting separated from its herd in Maharashtra and trampled Alluri Shankar (50) at Burepalli village in Chintalamanepalli mandal before killing Karu Posham (65) at Kondapalli village in Penchikalpet mandal on April 3 and 4 respectively in 2024. However, it was later successfully diverted towards Maharashtra on April 6.

Even as April haunts farmers of the district as it brought an unprecedented tragedy, the herd of 32 elephants continuing to crush maize, paddy and other crops at Suryadongari, Akapur, Injawari, Kitadi, Churmura and surrounding villages in Armori Taluka of northern Gadchiroli district for a week has triggered more fears. In Gadchiroli meanwhile, efforts by the forest department to prevent the damage by the herd have not yielded much results. Hula parties, which are groups of people armed with torches and drums, were formed to chase away the elephants, which however continued to wander in the agriculture fields, causing losses to the growers of maize and paddy, according to reports.

Farmers here are a worried lot after learning the news of the crop damage by the elephants. They requested officials to take preventive measures to prevent straying of the elephants into their fields. They fear that the elephants might damage crops besides killing humans.

Experts working in tackling elephant-human conflict in Maharashtra opined that elephants were known for great memory power. They pointed out that they would roam the landscapes they stayed in many centuries ago. They reasoned that the elephants were exploring the forests of Maharashtra in search of habitat, food and drinking water after being displaced by mining of minerals in Chhattisgarh.

When asked, District Forest Officer Neeraj Kumar Tebriwal told ‘Telangana Today‘ that they were coordinating with their counterparts of Maharashtra as they received information about the movement of the elephants in Gadchiroli district. He stated that chances of the elephants entering the district were bleak. However, they were staying alert to handle the situation if they drifted towards Telangana.