Tirupati, February 03: The herd of 21 elephants that had Kuppam and surrounding villages on the edge for close to 12 hours finally moved towards the forests on the Chittoor-Tamil Nadu border.
They had strayed into Lakshmipuram near Kuppam on Tuesday morning, attracted by the water tank at the Varadarajaswamy temple. While the panicky locals alerted the forest department officials and police, the pachyderms played and rested in the water body till late in the evening.
The officials adopted a wait and watch approach fearing that any move on their part could send the wild elephants into a fit of rage. Their patience paid off around 7 p.m when the herd resumed its journey.
Except for a few acres of beans and tomatoes, crops were not affected by the herd. Nor were there any human casualties. As 15-20 villages are scattered between Kuppam and the border, officials have advised the people against sleeping in the fields. Those dwelling in huts were asked to move to safer locations till the herd passes .
–Agencies