Make coordinated efforts to check elephant menace at Vizianagaram: Official

Vizianagaram: The senior forest officials have directed the district and divisional forest officers to work in coordination to control the elephant menace in Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts.

Rahul Pandey, Chief Conservator of Forests came to Vizianagaram forest office and addressed the range and division officers of VIzianagaram, Kurupam, Parvathipuram, Srikakulam and Palakonda. He advised the staff to create awareness among the people regarding the elephants and not to harm them.

The officers of both districts should work unitedly to protect the elephants and the people too. The officers came to know that five elephants are roaming in Vizianagaram district and four in Srikakulam district. Pandey said the people should not terrify elephants. If huge sounds are created to chase the elephants, they would be turn more violent and the response would be more violent.

Since the vast forest area is existing in Srikakulam District, the elephants are spending most of the time in forest areas and the rest of time they are moving in non forest area. But in Vizianagaram district, the elephants are spending most of the time in farmer's fields and relatively very less time they are spending in forest area. To keep the elephants in forest area only, it is necessary to take up regeneration of bamboo shoots for providing food and water sources to avoid the elephants moving towards farmer's fields and to prevent any crop damages.