An elephant corridor linking the central Western Ghats with northern Dandeli Elephant Reserve has reopened near Sagar in Shivamogga district, with a herd of five elephants entering Kudigere village and damaging paddy fields before being moved back towards the forest.
The elephants, believed to have come from Bhadra Sanctuary, entered the village during the early hours of Thursday after forest staff had tracked the herd overnight. The sanctuary is around 100 kilometres from the area. Forest personnel and residents drove the herd approximately 10 kilometres back towards the Ambligola Range Forest.
The movement followed the crossing of a tusker on the Ranebennur-Byndoor highway near Peeranakanive, close to Ambligola dam, on Wednesday night. Ambligola range forest officer Madhava said the location is a usual crossing point for elephants entering Bellandur forest. On Thursday, however, the herd took a village route and entered a three-kilometre stretch of paddy fields in Kudigere, which falls under Thyagarthi gram panchayat.
A resident of nearby Gowthamapura, Prakash, told the Times of India that the elephants damaged paddy fields along their route. The incident startled residents and required coordinated action by forest staff and villagers to move the animals away from the cultivated area.
Forest officials and local residents have reported elephant movement in the region for the past two to three years. The animals are believed to be using an old corridor connecting the central Western Ghats to the northern Dandeli Elephant Reserve after a prolonged absence. The recurring movement has brought the corridor into direct contact with highways, agricultural land and village settlements.
The latest incident follows the movement of a lone tusker through Shivamogga district into agricultural areas of neighbouring Haveri district last year. The animal crossed through the Hirekerur and Byadagi ranges, indicating that elephant movement is extending across administrative and cultivated landscapes rather than remaining within protected forest boundaries.
Activist Shashi Sampalli has called for stronger monitoring of elephant movement and the creation of an Elephant Task Force in Shivamogga. Senior officials said a proposal for such a task force, mainly sought for the Bhadravathi division, had been submitted to higher authorities. Forest teams are continuing to monitor the corridor and the herd’s movement from the sanctuary towards the surrounding forest areas.
