The carcass of a female wild elephant found at a forest location near Pulicharla in Chittoor district on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: ARRANGEMENT
A wild elephant, which is believed to have emerged from the forests of neighboring Tamil Nadu, was found dead at a forest location on the Sadum-Kalluru road to Chittareddypet village in Pulicherla mandal on Saturday morning. The pachyderm’s death led to panic in the villages surrounding the location, while large crowds of villagers thronged to have a look at the carcass.
The carcass, entangled among bamboo thickets, was initially found by local villagers passing the road, and they promptly informed area forest staff.
Forest officials from Chittoor reached the spot, and took up investigation into the jumbo’s death. The wild elephant was identified as an adult female. Veterinary officials from Tirupati and Chittoor reached the forest area and performed post mortem at the location, before burying it. According to forest officials, the elephant had consumed a huge quantity of mangoes in the nearby gardens and died due to indigestion.
Pulicharla mandal, which remains closer to the western side of the Seshachalam Hills of Tirupati district, has been frequented by herds of wild elephants from either Koundinya Wildlife Sanctuary, nestled in Palamaner and Kuppam assembly constituencies, or from the Tamil Nadu forests entering Chittoor district from forests abutting Gudiyattam and Vellore. During the peak harvesting season, the wild elephants roam the region, destroying standing crops of mango, banana, tomato, and coconuts, causing distress to farmers apart from huge crop losses. The forest officials are yet to clarify whether the deceased elephant belonged to any herd or a lone elephant.
For the record, in March 2022, a wild elephant that strayed into the fields was electrocuted in Sadum mandal of the Punganur constituency, a few kilometers from the present location of fresh jumbo casualty.
Published – July 05, 2025 04:57 pm IST