Elephants trample man to death in Andhra Pradesh

A herd of elephants trampled a man to death while he was sleeping in a mango orchard in Andhra Pradesh. The incident occurred in Chittoor district’s Bandaravandalapalli village.
The victim, identified as Rajareddy, suffered fatal injuries from the attack, which occurred late last night. His body has been sent for post-mortem examination.
According to local sources, the herd, consisting of 11 elephants, stays in the orchard, posing a threat to nearby residents. In the wake of this incident, the police and forest officials were working together to safely relocate the elephants to their natural habitat, away from the local population.
Chittoor District Forest Officer S Raghuram said: “We are taking all necessary precautions to ensure the elephants are relocated without causing harm to humans or property.” Authorities are actively managing the situation as they seek to resolve the potential danger.
This is another incident in the man-animal conflicts in Chittoor district. In June this year, a wild elephant trampled a man to death in Ramakuppam mandal. Earlier this year, elephants rampaged through Diguva Marumuru village and surrounding hamlets in Palamaner constituency, damaging banana plantations and prompting locals to intervene to protect their crops.
On August 20, 2023, a 45-year-old man in Punganur was also killed by a herd of elephants in Peddapanjani Mandal. Several cases of elephant fatalities were also reported in the district, adding to concerns about human-elephant conflicts.