TIRUPATI: The birth of an elephant calf is proving to be a problem for farmers as well as officials from Palamaneru of Chittoor district. One of the elephants, in a herd of seven wild animals, gave birth to the calf about a week ago at Boothalabanda forest area near Palamaneru. To ensure that the calf is able to walk with speed while staying in a protective surrounding, the elephants have settled down in the area which is apparently not a problem for anyone.
The forest region is far from fields. What proves to be a matter of concern to the villagers, however, is that the herd of wild animals have been targeting the fields and destroying them in order to feed the calf and its mother. Forest officials noted that while the mother and another elephant were guarding the calf, the other five elephants would enter the fields and destroy them. The forest officials tried to divert them many times but they do not seem to be in a mood to evacuate the place. Farmers in the surrounding areas are worried about the wild herds.
Speaking to this correspondent, DFO, Chittoor west, Mr Chakrapani said, "it's a normal practise to divert herds of wild elephants. Whenever they enter a field, we drive them back into the forest. We are working on trenches that would help stop them from entering the fields. The work will be completed within a month or two."
According to experts of the wild, elephants guard their young ones more closely than any other animal. The other elephants in the group are targeting nearby fields in search of food and destroying them. Speaking to this correspondent, Dr S.P. Arun, a wildlife expert and a doctor at the Tirupati Zoo, said, "In general the herds are led by a female elephant, elder in age. In this case, the leader and the mother of the calf will guard it. There are two major reasons for which they settled in this particular area. They are waiting for calf to walk speed which will take a month or two. The other reason is that they might have felt this area is more suitable and secure compared to other areas with water and food availability." The forest officials have left the herd and warned the villagers to be careful until the herd moves away from the settled areas.
