Idukki: A herd of three wild elephants that had kept the residents of Peerumade on tenterhooks for the past six days was on Monday chased back to the forest.
Watchers of the Forest Department and the rapid response team managed to direct the herd, comprising a cow elephant, into the Azhutha region. A team of RRT is camping in the region to prevent the reentry of the herd.
“The jumbos had been wandering in the area for some time now, our RRT members directed the herd into the forest of Azhutha range around 4 pm,” said Erumeli range officer B R Jayan.
He said sending the elephants back into the forest was not an easy task as they had positioned in a busy locality along the Kuttikanam-Peerumade Civil Station road where government quarters, guest house, a court, and the treasury is situated
“The only solution to prevent the wild jumbos from drifting to the residential areas in the region is setting up solar fencing. A project in this regard is in the pipeline,” he added.
Meanwhile, locals have said over the last six days the jumbos destroyed several farmlands and came close to an IHRD School in the area.
Locals and political parties had protested in front of the RRT office in Peerumade on Monday demanding immediate action from the forest department.
