Statesman News Service
October 28, 2007
BARIPADA, Oct. 26: For the first time, Simlipal Tiger Reserve (STR) has decided to keep at least three pet elephants, two female, named Swabha and Bhabani and one male called Mahindra for tourists, said Dr Debabrata Swain, field director and conservator, STR.
Besides this the elephants would be used to drive away a wild tusker which has entered the Mayurbhanj district.
“We have decided to keep the elephants for tourist attraction. The riding activity would start from the first week of November,” Dr Swain added.
Migratory elephants are on a rampage in the Bhuansanali, Bandiraposi and Paharpur villages under the Bandiraposi gram panchayat in Jashipur block, causing extensive damage to crops and settlements. Two persons had been already killed. Efforts by the forest department officials have failed. The pet elephants have been brought from the Karnataka forest department. If this experiment succeeds, Mahindra, Swabha, Bhabani could be used to control depredations by wild elephants in the the neighbouring Keonjhar district, according to Dr Swain.The three pet elephants have been used to chase away wild tuskers from the Baunsanali gram panchayat area. The operation had met with some initial success, according to sources.
After a confrontation, the tuskers had disappeared at the sight of the three trained elephants. Despite this, they have been kept stationed at Baunsanali to meet any eventuality, the forest sources said. Meanwhile, villagers in Jasipur and Raruan blocks, who are often subject to ravages by elephants, demanded the driving away of the tusker which killed two.
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