Representational image only. File
| Photo Credit: Special arrangement
A forest section officer, Sukumar, was seriously injured while a team of forest staff was engaged in driving a wild elephant into the forest. The incident was reported in Palamaner town, Chittoor district, on Saturday morning (September 13, 2025). According to forest officials, a sub-adult elephant strayed close to the municipal limits of Palamaner from the abutting forests.
On receipt of information, the section officer and his team rushed to the spot and tried to chase away the animal. In this process, the elephant, in confusion, took a U-turn and faced the pursuers. The jumbo lost control and fell on Sukumar. Under heavy weight, the official had suffered grievous injuries to his legs and arms. The elephant gained its posture back and ran towards the forests. Sukumar was rushed to the Government Hospital at Palamaner, and he was declared out of danger.
The man-animal conflict claimed close to 30 lives, injuring about 20 persons in the last decade. The casualties among wild elephants were also baffling, with more than twenty animals perishing, mostly owing to electrocution in the fields.
According to statistics, a sharp rise was reported in human fatalities in recent years, with six deaths each reported in 2020–21 and 2023–24. This figure happens to be the largest in the past decade. Chittoor district further recorded its highest number of injuries, five, in 2023-24.
This highlights the growing intensity of the conflict. As against the early years with isolated incidents, one death in 2013 to two in 2017, the casualties rose to three in 2018. Coming to 2024-25, three human casualties have been reported so far.
A senior forest official attributed this scenario to the intensified movement of elephant herds from neighbouring States of Tamil Nadu, from as far as Mudumalai forests, and Karnataka’s Bannerghatta reserves, crossing into the Koundinya wildlife sanctuary, covering Kuppam, Palamaner, Punganur, and Bangarupalem mandals. The stray animals frequently make inroads into faraway places such as Nagalapuram, 150 km from the sanctuary zone, and towards Piler, close to the Seshachalam biosphere. The reason remains mostly attributed to being in search of food and water.
Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan played a key role in bringing four kumkis (trained elephants) to Chittoor district after negotiations with the Karnataka Government. After a specified period of training and acclimatisation programme at the elephant camp at Palamaner, the kumkis even participated in a couple of successful operations, driving away their wild counterparts back into the forests.
Mr. Pawan Kalyan further directed the forest officials to give priority to the local demands and expedite quicker compensation and chalking out long-term solutions to end the vexed man-animal conflict at the tri-State junction.
Published – September 13, 2025 12:46 pm IST
