Elephant Herd Spreads Panic, Two Forest Staff Injured In Attack

Forest personnel monitoring the movements of the elephants using drone cameras attempted to drive them back to the forest. The elephants turned aggressive and chased the officials out.

In the incident, two forest staff members were injured. Section officer Munuswamy and forest guard Lakshmi Prasad were rushed to a hospital for treatment. Officials said both were recovering and out of danger.

The forest department had received alerts from locals about the movement of a pair of elephants near the villages of Kotakadapalli, Elamanda and Ushtikayapenta. Drone surveillance confirmed the presence of elephants near agricultural lands.

With the harvest season approaching, villagers have expressed concern over potential crop damage due to elephant intrusions. Forest officials said they intensified efforts to drive the animals back into the deep forest. However, the sudden aggression from the elephants led to panic and injuries to the task force personnel.

The forest department has issued an alert to residents of surrounding villages, advising them to avoid venturing into agricultural fields until further notice. Officials are on high alert, given the possibility of the elephant herd returning to the area.