Rogue elephant sparks safety concerns along Chittoor-Bengaluru highway
Forest officials have been concerned for the past six months about the presence of a solitary sub-adult male elephant on the Moghili Ghat stretch of
Forest officials have been concerned for the past six months about the presence of a solitary sub-adult male elephant on the Moghili Ghat stretch of the Chittoor-Bengaluru Highway, which is disrupting vehicular movement and causing fear among villagers. What has alarmed the forest officials is the elephant’s strange behavior and abrupt crossings of the busy highway. It has crossed the road more than 40 times in six months, often at unpredictable hours.
On June 14, 2023, three wild elephants were killed in a collision with speeding vehicles at the Moghili Ghat section, now frequented by the solitary jumbo, officials said. The elephant’s encounters with humans have also become increasingly tense. It reportedly injured a forest staff member last September and charged at villagers in May 2026. Attempts to drive it deep into the forests towards Tamil Nadu in March brought only temporary respite, as the elephant soon returned to the Moghili Ghat road stretch.
District Forest Officer G. Subburaj told The Hindu that the elephant is posing a persistent challenge in villages bordering the Koundinya Wildlife Sanctuary, displaying unusually aggressive behavior by charging at villagers, forest personnel, and even domestic cattle. “This elephant’s repeated and unpredictable crossings of the Highway pose a grave threat to its own survival. Its protection is now our topmost priority,” he said. The Forest Department is now closely monitoring the elephant’s movement in and around Palamaner and has intensified field-level mitigation measures to ensure the safety of both the public and the animal.
The DFO appealed to the public not to approach, provoke, or disturb the elephant and to immediately report its movement to forest officials.
The BriefWire