Early Tuesday morning, a herd of wild elephants entered farmland in Boothalapuram village, under the Germalam forest range in Erode district. The herd fed on and trampled harvested maize cobs cultivated by farmer Rathinamma, causing extensive damage. The elephants stayed in the field for more than an hour. Local farmers gathered and used shouting and firecrackers to scare the animals back into the forest. This incident comes just two days after a farmer was killed by elephants in the Thalavadi hill area, increasing fear among hill village residents. Farmers said they had repeatedly reported elephant movements to the Germalam forest range office. However, they claim these complaints were not followed by field inspections, and responses to intrusion calls were indifferent. The farmers are calling on the Forest Department to increase night patrols, build protective trenches along village borders, and offer compensation to those affected by elephant damage.