Mysore: Mananimal conflict seems to be rising alarmingly in the district. While three people have been killed in tiger attacks on the fringes of the Bandipur Tiger Reserve over the last week, a herd of elephants was spotted close to Mysore city on Monday, sending people into a panic.
Eight elephants, including a few calves, were seen on a farm belonging to a private resort on the Mysore-Manandavadi road, merely seven kms from the city. Mysore tahasildar, Naveen Joseph said the forest department was keeping track of the herd , spotted first in adjacent areas Sunday night, and was doing everything possible to drive it back into the forests.
“It’s imperative that the elephants don’t get agitated. They will go back to their natural habitat if left undisturbed,” said Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF), Mysore, D.S. Gaonkar. The department decided to adopt a wait and watch approach till sunset Monday before beginnning the operation to drive the elephants back into the forests.
Villagers of Heggadahalli in Nanjangud taluk said the elephants had strayed out of the Omkar forest of Bandipur Tiger Reserve and left a trail of destruction, damaging large tracts of sugarcane fields during their 30 km march towards Heggadahalli on Saturday. They claimed the forest department did nothing to help the farmers.
