A lone wild elephant entered a maize field late on Sunday night near Thalavadi, causing extensive damage to crops before being driven back into the forest by villagers.
The incident occurred at Tamilpuram village under the Jeerahalli forest range, as the elephant strayed out of the forest, broke through wire fencing and entered the agricultural land belonging to farmer Nagaraj. The animal reportedly fed on maize cobs and damaged a large portion of the standing crop.
Alerted by the intrusion, farmers from nearby areas gathered and managed to chase the elephant back into the forest by bursting firecrackers and making loud noises.
Farmers said that such incidents have become frequent, with wild elephants entering villages at night and damaging crops such as banana, sugarcane and maize. Despite preventive measures including fencing and installation of CCTV cameras, crop losses continue to occur.
They urged the forest department to take immediate steps to control the movement of the lone elephant and prevent wild elephants from venturing out of forest areas. Farmers also demanded adequate compensation for the losses incurred due to the destruction of crops.
