Panic seized the hamlets near the border between Chittoor and Tamil Nadu after a herd of nine wild elephants fatally attacked a 52-year-old farmer on Thursday morning in the Tanjavur village of Yadamarri Mandal (Chittoor district), 25 km from here.
According to the villagers, the victim saw Valligan, 52, a farmer with speech and hearing impairment, after completing his night watch around 6:00 a.m. at the edge of his field, which came up to a pond. The farmers in the neighboring fields were also preparing to return home when they spotted a herd of nine wild elephants which, after emerging from the pond, were marching towards the forests of Paradarami (TN). In a few seconds the herd was running towards Valligan, whose backs were turned to the jumbos. The peasants called in vain to warn Valligan.
The Divisional Forest Officer (Chittoor West), who was conducting an eyewitness investigation, said a male tusk who was leading the herd rushed towards Valligan and, after lifting him in the air, hurled him 20 feet away would have. The Jumbos who followed their leader had trampled him to death while the panicked villagers ran helter skelter.
“Unfortunately, Valligan, who is speech and hearing impaired, could not avoid the attack, although his colleagues on the spot shouted wildly. To make matters worse, the deceased was wearing a white shirt at the time of the attack. It is known that wild elephants get angry when they look at an object that is white, ”said the DFO.
The official said the nine-headed herd has been roaming the Paradarami-Yadamarri forest belt for a month. “We are more concerned as the herd has two babies who often move away from the group, forcing the other members to look for them, causing them to cross the fields that border the woods. We have deployed additional forces from forest watchers and elephant chasers in the region, ”said Ravi Shankar.
In the meantime, senior tax, police and forest officials inspected the site and the victim’s body was taken to the government hospital in Chittoor for an autopsy. Puthalapattu MLA MS Babu spoke to Valligan family members and arranged an amount of Rs 2 lakh for immediate expenses on behalf of the government. The deceased is survived by his wife, two unmarried daughters and a son.