A forest watcher lost three fingers when a cracker exploded in his hand when he hurled it at a herd of 26 wild elephants as they approached human settlements on the outskirts of Palamaner, towards Gudiyattam in Tamil Nadu sugar cane and rice growing.
Divisional Forest Officer (Chittoor West) S. Ravi Shankar said that although the Palamaner-Gudiyattam Road, which runs through dense forests, is frequented by wild elephants, their numbers used to be small and “manageable” for elephant hunters and watchers.
“This is the first time in recent years that a herd of 26 has appeared on the outskirts of Palamaner, making it difficult for field workers to drive them into the jungle,” he said. The elephant seekers attempted to fire crackers to fight the wild herd. A blast exploded in the hand of the forest watcher Srihari. The severely injured worker was taken to a hospital with three fingers missing.
The DFO said that despite the difficulty of controlling larger herds, around 30 field workers were working around the clock, monitoring the jumbo movements and diverting their attention from forays into human settlements and farmland. “Unfortunately, the villagers add to the confusion by approaching the wild elephants to take selfies and yelling at them. We asked the police to control the mob so we could more easily drive them back into the woods. We are in the process of developing an effective action plan on Thursday, ”said Ravi Shankar.
Forest watchers observed that the presence of newborn calves in the large herd slowed their movement and creating chaos would only make the situation worse. They said the jumbos were in “musth” from June to August and their break-ins in the fields needed to be addressed strategically.