A herd of 21 elephants damaged standing crops at Brahadevara Chenu in Ramakuppam mandal on Monday night
The Divisional Forest Officer (Chittoor) T. Chakrapani on Tuesday denied the rumours that the forest guards had a brush with the wild elephants in the Kangundi locality near Kuppam during their night vigil.
Speaking to The Hindu, he said that the some stray cattle in the forests abutting Kuppam and Tamil Nadu borders created a flutter on Monday midnight, when they came stampeding down the forest track. The guards were confused at the sudden and heavy commotion in the forest and mistook the cattle for wild elephants.
Chakrapani further said that some parts of the jungle near Kuppam towards Tamil Nadu were abundant with stray cattle.
Meanwhile, a herd of 21 elephants went on rampage at the agriculture fields at Brahadevara Chenu village of Ramakuppam mandal in Kuppam constituency on Monday midnight. The pachyderms kept feasting on the crops till early hours of Tuesday, resulting in heavy crop damage.
Panic among a score of villages is such that several families have already sent away their women and children to safer places in the neighbourhood. Movement of school students, elders and women is badly affected on the roads in rural area.