South Kodagu elephant raids have damaged paddy fields in Nokya village, where a herd of four to five wild elephants entered cultivated farmland and trampled crops belonging to farmers Cheppudira Cariyappa and Koppada Mahesh, according to a report by Times of India – Mysuru.
The incident occurred in Ponnampet taluk, where villagers said elephants had been entering the area daily. Four to five farmers have cultivated paddy in Nokya, making the repeated movement of elephants through the village a direct threat to crops and farm livelihoods.
Residents said the conflict has continued for several years across the stretch from Thithimathi to Chavundimoole, Kuniramanakatte and Jangaladi. They alleged that a 2.8-km railway barricade installed in the region was of poor quality and had not prevented elephants from entering agricultural areas.
Villagers also alleged that materials meant for the stretch between Jangaladi and Marapala had gone missing. According to the report, elephants are entering South Kodagu through the area between Jangaladi and Ayirasuli-Marapala, making the condition and continuity of the barricade a central concern for residents.
The latest crop damage comes against a history of serious elephant attacks in the region. Earlier incidents in Chennangolli resulted in the deaths of a woman, farmer Mallangada Sanni and two labourers. Sandhya, the wife of senior police officer Annalmada Sunil Achaiah, was also attacked by a wild elephant in Konanakatte.
Villagers have previously blocked the highway for about seven hours during protests over the elephant menace, with support from various organisations. The road blockade reflected the extent to which the issue has moved beyond individual crop-loss complaints and become a wider public-safety and administration concern across several settlements.
Kadyamada Manu Somaiah, president of the Kodagu district farmers’ association, a former chief conservator of forests and other forest officials had inspected the area and submitted a report identifying locations where barricades were required, residents said. They alleged that no action had followed the inspection and report.
Residents of Nokya, Marapala, Konanakatte, Mayamudi, Danugala and nearby areas have urged the government and forest department to install a robust railway barricade and establish a permanent measure to prevent further loss of crops and lives. The reported demand places responsibility on the authorities to address both the immediate damage in Nokya and the wider gaps along the elephant movement corridor.
