Wild elephants enter village near Dharmapuri

DHARMAPURI: Two wild elephants entered Kammalapatti village in Dharmapuri district in the early hours of Monday. Panic spread among villagers after CCTV footage of the jumbos entering their residential areas was shared on instant messaging apps. On being alerted, forest department officials made efforts to chase the jumbos away from the village. “The elephants have now entered the Malaiyur forest area,” an official said. Due to severe drought, wild elephants have started straying out of Morappur and Malaiyur reserve forests near Palacode in search of food and water. They damage ragi, corn, sugarcane and paddy fields. Animal activists have urged the forest department to build water tanks in forest areas and maintain them.