Forest official injured after elephant falls on him throughout chase operation in Andhras Chittoor district

A forest part officer, Sukumar, was critically injured whereas a crew of forest employees was engaged in driving a wild elephant into the forest. The incident was reported in Palamaner city, Chittoor district, on Saturday morning (September 13, 2025). According to forest officers, a sub-adult elephant strayed near the municipal limits of Palamaner from the abutting forests.

On receipt of data, the part officer and his crew rushed to the spot and tried to thrust back the animal. In this course of, the elephant, in confusion, took a U-turn and confronted the pursuers. The jumbo misplaced management and fell on Sukumar. Under heavy weight, the official had suffered grievous accidents to his legs and arms. The elephant gained its posture again and ran in the direction of the forests. Sukumar was rushed to the Government Hospital at Palamaner, and he was declared out of hazard.

The man-animal battle claimed near 30 lives, injuring about 20 individuals within the final decade. The casualties amongst wild elephants had been additionally baffling, with greater than twenty animals perishing, largely owing to electrocution within the fields.

According to statistics, a pointy rise was reported in human fatalities lately, with six deaths every reported in 2020–21 and 2023–24. This determine occurs to be the biggest up to now decade. Chittoor district additional recorded its highest variety of accidents, 5, in 2023-24.

This highlights the rising depth of the battle. As in opposition to the early years with remoted incidents, one loss of life in 2013 to 2 in 2017, the casualties rose to a few in 2018. Coming to 2024-25, three human casualties have been reported to this point.

A senior forest official attributed this situation to the intensified motion of elephant herds from neighbouring States of Tamil Nadu, from so far as Mudumalai forests, and Karnataka’s Bannerghatta reserves, crossing into the Koundinya wildlife sanctuary, masking Kuppam, Palamaner, Punganur, and Bangarupalem mandals. The stray animals ceaselessly make inroads into faraway locations reminiscent of Nagalapuram, 150 km from the sanctuary zone, and in the direction of Piler, near the Seshachalam biosphere. The cause stays largely attributed to being in the hunt for meals and water.

Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan performed a key position in bringing 4 kumkis (educated elephants) to Chittoor district after negotiations with the Karnataka Government. After a specified interval of coaching and acclimatisation programme on the elephant camp at Palamaner, the kumkis even participated in a few profitable operations, driving away their wild counterparts again into the forests.

Mr. Pawan Kalyan additional directed the forest officers to provide precedence to the native calls for and expedite faster compensation and chalking out long-term options to finish the vexed man-animal battle on the tri-State junction.