A 40-year-old man guarding his raagi field near Toppanahalli in Bangarpet taluk in Kolar division was killed on Monday after a wild elephant picked him up by its trunk and threw him in the air.
The deceased has been identified as Nagabhushan Reddy, a resident of Chikkabommanahalli village. “He was the sole bread winner for his family, which comprised his father, mother and an unmarried sister,” said Anil Kumar Ratan, Kolar deputy conservator of forests.
The attack came as a surprise because, for the first time in almost two decades, elephants have been spotted in this region. Sources from the forest department said a herd of 27 elephants, comprising both calves and adults, was camping in the region for almost a week and the forest authorities were trying hard to send these pachyderms back to their migratory paths.
Although several villagers were sitting near their respective plantations, guarding them, they fled when they heard the noise of the elephants.
Unfortunately, Nagabhushan could not escape as one of the pachyderms was right next to where he was sitting. The wild pachyderm killed him instantly by picking him with its trunk and throwing him in the air. A compensation of Rs2 lakh will be offered to his family.
Ratan said though there was no history of elephants visiting Kolar, 17-18 years back, there was a case when two elephants had strayed into this region, but there was no proof.
The elephants that had been camping in the region for almost a week might have come from the Cauvery Basin, via Hosur to Kamasandra state forest in Kolar, the official opined.
The efforts to drive them to Tamil Nadu proved futile, as on Tuesday morning, the pachyderms diverted their path and moved to the eastern part of Karnataka border, towards Andhra Pradesh via Koppam. Now the forest department has to maintain a strict vigil to ensure the pachyderms do not return.
Speculating the reason for pachyderms’ presence in the region, Anil pointed out that this could be the result of Tamil Nadu forest officials diverting the herd’s route or perhaps the regular migratory path was filled with several hurdles, forcing the elephants to seek a new habitat.
Shedding light on the possibility of their diversion in the migratory route, principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife) BK Singh said the barricades were defective near areas surrounding Bannerghatta National Park, which would have prevented the elephants’ migration to Tamil Nadu.
“But efforts are on to ensure the elephants follow their migratory path,” he said.
