Collector tells villagers not to disturb jumbos in Yelagiri

TIRUPATTUR: The operations to chase the two wild jumbos out of Tirupattur district entered the second day with Collector D Baskara Pandian giving instructions on Tuesday to revenue officials to inform villages around Yelagiri hills to impound the keys of two-wheelers of residents to avoid any kind of disturbance to the animals, which are on Tuesday at the foothills.

The same message was also sent to all panchayat presidents in the area with an alert that the animals have moved close to their village borders.

He also instructed revenue officials to warn villagers not to approach the animals at night using torches, mobile phone lights, or use vehicle horns to scare and drive away the pachyderms as all efforts were on to move them back to their original haunt in the forests in the neighbouring Krishnagiri district.

Following the Collector’s order, a team of revenue officials took away the keys of more than 40 two-wheelers which rushed to Tamaraikuppam at the base of the Yelagiri hills, where the elephants were wandering, on Monday night.

“Till now the animals are calm and moving away from places of human presence. If youth continue to harass them with their lights and vehicles, then the reaction of the animals cannot be predicted,” Baskara Pandian told DT Next.

In fact, all footage showing the two elephants uploaded on social media by youth on Monday, one can hear the shouts of people and their instructions to their companions to be careful and not to venture too close to the animals.

While forest officials were present along with revenue and panchayat staff, the Collector had to ask the police to be present as they were absent once their superiors left the location, sources said.