A herd of three tuskers on Saturday early morning raided agricultural
lands at Ettimadai and damaged more than 100 banana plants. The
elephants, however, did not disturb human habitats. The farmers
immediately sought the help of forest department officials to chase
the elephants away from the agricultural fields, but in vain. They
said elephants often raided their agricultural fields and damaged
crops.
In Saturday’s incident, the elephant herd raided the farm land of V
Ramakrishnasamy, 43, of Ettimadai village near Madukkarai and
destroyed over 100 banana plants and that of K Murugasamy of the same
locality and damaged more than 20 banana plants.
The villagers noticed the tuskers in Ramakrishnasamy’s agricultural
field and informed him over mobile phone. He rushed to the spot but
did not disturb the elephants. “Over 100 banana plants were damaged. I
informed forest department officials and they reached the spot around
11am. The elephants visit our locality often,” Ramakrishnasamy said.
Forest guards Kumar and Ellappan visited the agricultural and reported
to the higher officials. They said elephants came out of the forest to
eat banana stems. Kaleeswari, a farmworker, and two of her children
reside in a hut located next to the agricultural land that elephants
raided on Saturday. “I saw the elephants at night but did not raise
any alarm. Two hours later, they left the agricultural land but came
back again at 5am. The elephants haven’t so far disturbed our hut,”
she said.
C Kuppi, 70, a daily wage labourer from Ettimadai, said her cow went
missing at night. “We live here with the fear of wild elephant attack.
Forest department should translocate the animals soon,” Kuppi said.