Climate Stress, Habitat Loss in Karnataka, TN, Driving Elephants Into AP

Tirupati: Climate stress, habitat degradation and shrinking food resources are increasingly driving elephants from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu into Chittoor district, intensifying human-elephant conflict in border villages. The situation is particularly severe in villages along the Andhra Pradesh-Tamil Nadu border, where elephant herds frequently enter agricultural fields in search of food. Farmers report extensive crop damage, sleepless nights, and inadequate compensation, while forest officials struggle to manage highly mobile herds moving across state boundaries. According to Forest Department estimates, there are around 100 elephants in the Koundinya Wildlife Sanctuary which stray into contiguous areas of Chittoor district. In particular, there is a herd of about 25 elephants, which has emerged as a major concern in Ramakuppam mandal and nearby areas. Movement of elephants has also become frequent in Palamaner, Kallur, and Somala mandals of Chittoor district. Forest officials said elephants are by nature migratory animals. But they generally remain confined to specific habitats they are familiar with. The 25-elephant herd is believed to have got accustomed to forests in the Krishnagiri, Gudiyatham, and Pernambut regions of Tamil Nadu. However, whenever there is distress, these elephants enter the forests in Chittoor district for prolonged stays. Officials say coordination between the Forest departments of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka in managing elephant movement remains a challenge. While elephants move freely across state boundaries, management efforts are largely confined to administrative jurisdictions, increasing pressure on border villages. For more than two decades, elephants from the Bannerghatta-Hosur landscape have travelled nearly 200 km before reaching parts of Chittoor district. Their route extends from Bannerghatta National Park in Karnataka to the Cauvery North Wildlife Sanctuary and Hosur scrublands in Tamil Nadu. In the process, the elephants cross barriers, such as the NH-7 highway and the Rayakottai railway line before entering Andhra Pradesh. Wildlife researchers attribute the changing pattern of elephant movement to habitat loss, climate-related stress, and shrinking food resources in traditional elephant habitats. A 2021 study on elephant and human deaths in the landscape found that habitat degradation had pushed elephants beyond their traditional ranges, including into Koundinya Wildlife Sanctuary, contributing to increased human-elephant conflict. Researchers cite unseasonal rainfall, recurring drought conditions, and human-induced habitat changes as factors that have reduced food availability and are pushing elephants towards the agriculture-rich landscapes of Chittoor district. According to synchronised elephant population estimates, Chittoor district had eight elephants in 2012, 30 in 2017, and 82 in the 2024 census. The latest enumeration, currently underway in 15 forest beats across the combined Chittoor district, is expected to record more than 120 elephants. Wildlife experts caution against interpreting the figures as evidence of a growing elephant population in Chittoor district. “Andhra Pradesh is not considered part of the traditional elephant range. Most elephants recorded in the state are linked to herds moving through inter-state forest corridors, which has turned Andhra into a sensitive elephant movement zone,” said wildlife biologist K. Kranti Chaitanya. A forest department official involved in the latest synchronised elephant population exercise said fresh elephant movements continue to be recorded in the region. A herd of 15 elephants recently entered the Kuppam forest range from Tamil Nadu, while another 13-member herd moved into Gudipala. Another herd of 15 elephants crossed from Chittoor into Talakona forests through the Rayala Elephant Reserve Corridor. Officials said apart from elephants associated with the Koundinya Wildlife Sanctuary, another 50 to 60 elephants periodically enter the district from neighbouring Karnataka and Tamil Nadu through Krishnagiri and Kuppam before returning to their original habitats.