Tension gripped several villages of Pulicharla mandal with two wild elephants prowling the fields and moving close to human habitations in the last two days.
According to information, the wild elephants, which entered the Chittoor district from Tamil Nadu forests, slowly moved eastward and were spotted traversing through the rural areas of Kallur, Kongaravaripalle, Thudumvaripalle, and surrounding villages on Wednesday. The local farmers blasted crackers in an attempt to drive the jumbos away. Meanwhile, the forest officials are monitoring the situation.
A leopard spotted near Gurukul School
In another incident, a leopard kept the villagers of Sanjeevarayani Palle hamlet of Puthalapattu mandal on the edge, on Wednesday. A farmer who was returning to the village in the early hours after night vigil spotted the leopard a few feet away. He ran inside a motor shed and closed himself in for a while, and informed the villagers about the big cat.
A batch of about 30 villagers rushed to the spot and scared away the animal by making noise and blasting crackers. The forest officials who arrived at the scene confirmed that the leopard’s pugmarks were found close to the local Gurukul Patashala.
The police arranged an awareness programme at the forested villages of the mandal, cautioning the villagers to only move in groups and not to venture out alone.
