Mysuru: Three elephants that ventured out of the forest and triggered panic among residents of Hanchipura village early on Wednesday were driven back into the forest.DCF (Mysuru circle) K Paramesh said the elephants were successfully driven back into the forest by foresters. With cooperation from the villagers, the forest department staff drove the elephants back into the forest. The villagers of Hanchipura urged the forest department to prevent wild animals from entering the village. Hanchipura village is in Saragur taluk of in Mysuru district.Despite the villagers shouting and screaming, the elephants roamed on the outskirts of the village. They then informed the forest department, and the latter drove the elephants back.Meanwhile, foresters asked authorities of the University of Mysore to erect a caution signboard about the movement of crocodiles at Kukkarahalli Lake to inform strollers and joggers. The DCF told TOI that the crocodile’s frequent appearances in the lake area were causing concern. Morning and evening walkers near the lake needed to be cautious, he stated. Recently, a morning walker captured its movement on a mobile camera.Meanwhile, a leopard was trapped near N Belathur in HD Kote taluk on Wednesday. The big cat had been causing trouble for several days now. It was attacking livestock raised by farmers, and the villagers were distressed by the leopard’s frequent attacks. The forest department set up a trap for the leopard following a complaint by villagers. The leopard was caught in the trap while searching for food, and it was released into the forest, said a forester.
