An elephant, which entered the Koundinya wildlife zone from the neighbouring Tamil Nadu, went on a rampage on the premises of the Mandal Parishad Elementary School at Keeramandal in Bangarupalem mandal, 40 km from here, on Wednesday night. It ransacked the storeroom after pulling down its wooden windows and ate part of the rice, jaggery and other food material stock, besides damaging some vessels.
The villagers alerted the forest officials that they heard the trumpeting of the elephant around midnight (Wednesday) near the school premises. Senior officials of the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) visited the school on Thursday morning and inspected the damage caused by the elephant.
The forest officials said the smell of jaggery inside the storeroom must have lured in the wild elephant. They said it had inserted the whole of its head and trunk into the storeroom and went about ransacking it upto its reach.
Considering the possibility of the elephant making a return at night, the officials shifted the provisions, meant for the midday meal scheme, to a safer location. Steps would be taken to build a compound wall around the school on a priority basis, said an official.
Meanwhile, parents are worried after the incident. Had it happened during the day, it would have led to chaos, they feared. The Forest department has deployed elephant trackers to monitor the elephant’s movements and told the villagers to be alert and move in groups after nightfall.