Idukki: A herd of wild elephants entered farmland in the Rajamudi residential area of Vandiperiyar near Kumily, causing extensive damage to cardamom plantations.

According to Forest Department officials, three wild elephants that strayed from the Grambi forest trampled cardamom crops owned by farmers Ayyavu, Ayyappan and Selvaraj.

Acting on information from local residents, Forest Department personnel rushed to the area. By then, the elephants had moved from the plantations to the forest boundary but continued to linger near the residential settlement. A team led by Erumeli Forest Range Officer K V Ratheesh later drove the animals back into the deep forest.

Residents said wild elephants have been frequently venturing into the area over the past year, leaving people living along the forest fringe in constant fear. They urged the Forest Department to take permanent measures to prevent such incursions, including driving the herd deeper into the forest and installing solar-powered fences and other barriers to protect farms and residential areas.

Forest Range Officer K V Ratheesh said temporary solar fencing would be installed in the Sathram Mount region as an immediate measure to safeguard farmers from further wildlife incursions.