Yellampalli Farmlands Devastated by Elephant Herd
To tackle the growing menace, the Forest Department has come up with an innovative plan.
Nellore: A midnight elephant invasion left the quiet village of Yellampalli in shock and panic on Friday night. A herd of wild elephants—seven adults and three calves—stormed into the village under the Bhimavaram forest beat, leaving behind a trail of destruction. Paddy fields were flattened, haystacks trampled, and water pipelines torn apart as the elephants rampaged through farmlands.
Terrified villagers, jolted awake by loud trumpeting and crashing sounds in the dead of night, watched helplessly as months of hard work vanished within hours. Farmers suspect the elephants might have strayed into Yellampalli from Pulicharla mandal in the Punganur constituency after moving out of the Koundinya Wildlife Sanctuary. Responding swiftly, forest officials rushed to the spot and have been working since dawn to push the herd back into the forest. To tackle the growing menace, the Forest Department has come up with an innovative plan—deploying trained elephants, known as Kumkis, to help control the wild herd and fit them with radio collars for tracking.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Panapakam forest range officer P. Madhavi revealed that a 10-member special team, including experienced trackers from Bakarapeta and Chandragiri forest ranges, has been formed to monitor the herd of ten elephants (including calves). “Our team is continuously tracking their movement, alerting villagers, and working to drive them safely back into the forest,” she said.