More jumbos return home

A herd of around 20 elephants, which had migrated to the jungles of West Midnapore and Bankura in August-September last year, slipped into to Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary on Friday night.

While most of the 130 elephants have ambled back home, some are still stationed in the fringes of the 192sqkm sanctuary. Last week, around 90 jumbos had returned from the Bengal forests.

Availability of food and water is not an issue at the sanctuary and the presence of the gentle giants in good numbers is all set to attract tourists.

Jharkhand’s lone elephant sanctuary, located off NH-33 near Jamshedpur, draws tourists in droves from across the state as well as from neighbouring Bengal, Bihar, Odisha and Chhattisgarh, thanks to it pristine beauty and inviting nature trails.

Elephant herds follow two corridors, one from Jhunjka and the other from Burudih. The first one leads to Nutandih while the second passes through Narsingpur in Ghatshila range, Suklara and Aamdapahari.

Both corridors merge at Mirjadih from where the animals cross Haludbani, Bhadodih, Bota and Dimna to reach the reserve.

Bota is the largest jungle in the Dalma sanctuary and elephants cross it before melting into the core area, which is comparatively cool.

A forest guard said the elephants moved into the sanctuary from Patamda and headed to the core area via Bota. “There were some calves in the herd,” he added.

The herd remained anchored in Ghatshila jungles for a fortnight or so. “Elephants anchor themselves where food and water are in abundance. We are happy that most of the jumbos are back home,” the forest guard said.

With most elephants back home, the forest authorities have issued directives to trackers (village youths recruited as daily wagers to keep tabs on movement of elephants) to be alert. Villages have also been asked to report any elephant movement to the range office in Mango.

Battery-powered torches, mashaals and crackers still remain to be distributed among heads of eco- development committees. The items are required to thwart elephants from entering villages in Dalma.

The state forest department was yet to replenish the stock. We are waiting for the same for distribution,” a staff at range office informed.

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Herds of Elephant crossing road in southern India

Description

Herds of Elephant crossing road in southern India.

Today morning heards of elephant crossing road in Anchetty area Krishnagiri district Tamil Nadu India.

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Assam government mulls GPS collars on elephants as early warning system

The government in Assam is considering a proposal to use GPS-tted collars on elephants to study the pattern of their movement, officials said, as the number of casualties in the human-tusker conflict has been rising in the state.

“GPS-tted collars would help map the migration route and locate herds. It will serve as an early warning system,” the state’s principal chief conservator of forests and head of forest force SK Srivastava said.

If all the approvals come through, the Assam forest department will start with a pilot project in Nagaon forest division.

“The idea is to t the collars on ve to six animals and then study the response,” said Suvasish Das, Nagaon’s district forest officer.

Srivastava pointed out that more than 70 humans and 55 elephants have lost their lives so far this year.

Last week, an elephant which had strayed from the herd killed four people including a child in Kheroni in West Karbi Anglong district. On the same day, another man was trampled to death in Udalguri part of the Bodo Territorial Administrative Districts.

Elephants, too, are bearing the brunt as they are often poisoned or die after coming in contact with the
electric fences which have been put by people who are now mostly living in spaces which were earlier elephant habitats or corridors for their movement.

“Electrocution, train hits and poisoning are big reasons,” said Srivastava, adding the number of elephant deaths included those who died of natural causes, too.

Officials of the state forest department said the project will be carried out in consultation with the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru and Wildlife Institute of India.

Assam’s forest cover is under severe pressure from the rising population. A study by Indian Institute of Remote Sensing titled Forest Cover Monitoring and Prediction in a Lesser Himalayan Elephant Landscape, published in Current Science in August said 9,007.14 square kilometres of forest may face depletion by 2028 in parts of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.

The study which monitored forest cover depletion in parts of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh over an area of 42,375 square kilometres of elephant landscape showed continuous high loss of forest cover.

“The total loss in forest cover was estimated to be about 7,590 sq km from 1924 to 2009,” the study said adding that an increasing human population and subsequent demand on the land for cultivation were the major reasons for forest cover depletion.

“It is such a scenario now that both the elephants and the humans are victims,” Assam’s principal chief conservator of forest (wildlife) DP Bankhwal said.

“GPS collars will help gather crucial data. Unavailability of data is a problem,” he said adding that it is merely a means and part of the many technological interventions which are being considered but the problem needs to be tackled on the ground.

The forest department is also considering raising an in-house team of mahouts to train elephants which would be used to drive away rogue elephants.

“Mahouts from Assam have been engaged by other states but we do not have a sufficient number ourselves,” said Das.

The 2017 census put the population of elephants in the northeast at 10,139 of which 5,719 are found in Assam.

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Big cats changing old routes to avoid human contact

NAINITAL: A new study has found that tigers, leopards and elephants may be changing their traditional corridors within forests to avoid man-animal conflict.
The study by the state forest department funded by the Union ministry of environment and forests found primary evidence that animals may have taken to two new probable passages/corridors near the Corbett tiger reserve (CTR). GS Karki, additional conservator of forests, told TOI, “We have launched the study in 12 corridors in and around CTR. The study is on and there are a few findings in the primary stage, but conclusions can be drawn only after the study is complete.” The study is being conducted in corridors passing through or connecting parts of forest in five forest divisions of western circle of Kumaon, Corbett tiger reserve, Nandhaur wildlife sanctuary and Pilibhit tiger reserve.
The study is aimed at exploring the factors, including human interference in habitat of wild animals as well as various other factors affecting the movement of animals through their natural pathways which happen to be corridors. Parag Madhukar Dhakate, chief executive officer of Haldwani zoo who is heading the study, said, “The study will take at least 12 months to reach to any conclusion. We have found two passages which may or may not be full-fledged corridors yet. We will be tracking the movement of the animals in these passages and other corridors too. Other factors will include closely observing the interference of humans and related activity near these corridors through which we will be able to determine the effects.”
Vipul Maurya, biologist from Wildlife Institute of India, said, “Elephant herds are known to migrate across 350-500 sq km annually. But fragmented landscapes are driving them more frequently into human-dominated areas, giving rise to more man-animal conflicts which also forces the animals to find new routes.”

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Forest dept forms squad to keep watch on tusker

Kolhapur: An elephant squad has been formed for keeping an eye on the full-grown tusker that was spotted in the Anuskura area of the Shahuwadi taluka, around 55-km from the city, informed H G Dhumal, deputy conservator of forest, Kolhapur on Thursday.

Dhumal added that the elephant is in its natural habitat so there is no point disturbing it. “We will be compensating any crop losses to the farmers,” he said.

“The elephant squad will instruct the farmers about measures one can take to keep the tusker away from the farms,” he added.

Meanwhile, according to a report from the forest department there are around seven elephants residing in the Kolhapur forest area. Of these three are male, 2 are female and 2 are calves.

It should be noted that the rural part of the Kolhapur district is a relatively well-forested area with a significant practice of agriculture and it also forms a major food source for the travelling herds of elephants. Plantations of sugarcane, maize and bananas are the preferences for their food.

Forest officials confirmed the presence of the elephant and said that they are carrying out damage assessment.

“Elephants tend to move around in farms in search of food and their size and movement is the primary reason for the damage they cause,” an official said.

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Two wild elephants radio collared in Hassan district

Hassan, Karnataka, Nov 2 (UNI) In order to monitor the movement of wild elephants in Hassan
district the forest department has radio collared for two female elephants during the last 24
hours.

Forest officials said an elephant was radio collared near Magalu village and the other pachyderm
was successfully sedated and the collars were put on it near Rajendrapura last evening.

The department has also got permission to capture two tuskers.

“With the help of the radio collar, we have been able to track the movement of the elephant
herds using a mobile application,” said Sivaram Babu, Deputy Conservator of Forests.

The officers began the operation identified another female elephant. The staff succeeded in
separating the animal with the help of tame elephants and tranquilised it.

Meanwhile, local people wanted officers to capture a problematic tusker spotted in the same
locality. However, the officers stated that they would capture the animal later. “The elephant was
in ‘must’. We could not take up the operation. We will resume the operation tomorrow. We have
to attach collars to two more elephants and capture two tuskers,” he said.

A team of three veterinarians, Mujeeb Rahman, Murali and Vinay, are assisting the officers in
the operation.
UNI BSP RS HVB1410

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Dhalbhum foresters to build water bodies on jumbo corridor

JAMSHEDPUR: The forest department will augment water bodies this year to ensure herds of elephants on the dedicated corridor between Jharkhand and West Bengal do not descend to the foothills in search of water


Coming in the backdrop of three elephant-related casualties in the last two months in the foothill areas of Dhalbhum subdivision, the department said it will construct two check dams this year and four next year. "The two check dams will be constructed in the Ghatshila side (Chekam and Narsingpur) in the next few months," said Dhalbhum divisional forest officer (DFO) Saba Alam Ansari.

The department is scouting for the site for the construction of the other four check-dams in the Charchakka forest in Ghatshila which is part of the corridor used by elephants to travel between Dalma and West Midnapore in West Bengal. "We have more than 25 water natural and artificial sources of water on the corridor, but we have decided to increase the number of the man-made water bodies as part of the project," Ansari said.

Every year, elephants destroy crops in the villages located on the edge of the corridor spread across Jharkhand, Bengal and Odisha. "Existing water bodies on the corridor have sufficient water level for the elephants," Ansari said, adding that nearly 70% of the existing water bodies has water available round the year. "We have also improved the approach paths leading to the natural and artificial water bodies," Ansari said.


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Male elephant found dead

Chittoor: A male elephant was found dead in a forest close to Netteri village in Bangarupalem mandal on Sunday night, according to T Chakrapani, Divisional Forest Officer (Chittoor). Speaking to the media here on Monday, the DFO said the villagers have found the dead tusker in a mango garden and informed the forest officials.



“After performing a post-mortem, it came to know that elephant died due to severe indigestion. No human fault was identified behind the death of the 25-year-old jumbo,” he stated.

Chakrapani has revealed that more than 34 elephants wandering in the Palamaner forest range in four herds. The DFO further said that forest staff are making serious efforts to restrict the movement of the elephants by digging the trenches around the forest boundaries.


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Jumbo herd 'blocks' highway

Jalpaiguri: Traffic along the Chalsa-Lataguri stretch of NH31 came to a screeching halt on Monday morning as a herd of around 10 elephants, including calves, walked along the road from the Gorumara National Park.

Vehicles could not move for around one-and-a-half hours as the herd went on roaming on the highway, with the calves busy in playing with dust and the foliage.

Local people said the herd had come out of Gorumara around 5.30am. "This stretch of the highway is a known crossing zone of elephants and other wild animals. Usually, elephant herds do not halt on the highway but simply cross it in ones and twos. But on Monday morning, it was a different situation altogether as the herd stopped on the highway," said Dibyendu Deb, the president of the Lataguri Resort Owners' Welfare Association.

While vehicles stopped on both sides of the highway, many tourists who had come out of their hotels and resorts to visit the forest in SUVs - the first jungle safari is conducted in Gorumara at 5.30am - were elated to see the elephants on the road, particularly the calves.

"It was a road blockade, but by elephants," said Debajit Dutta, a resident of Sodepur in North 24-Paraganas. "We were in deep sleep when the staff at the resort informed us about the elephants. We took no time and rushed to the highway."


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Project radio collar to track elephants

Calcutta: An operation to track the real-time location and movement of elephant herds in south Bengal, which could go a long way in reducing human-animal conflict, will start on Wednesday.

A team of experts tasked with tagging matriarchs of two elephant herds with radio collars will leave Calcutta for a West Midnapore forest on Wednesday morning.

Matriarchs rule the elephant kingdom and using a radio collar on the female leader will enable forest officials to monitor the movement of the entire herd.

Herds from Jharkhand's Dalma range stray into villages in the south Bengal districts of Bankura, West Midnapore and Jhargram every year, destroying crop and occasionally killing humans.

"According to reports from our men on the ground, there are around 30 elephants in south Bengal at the moment, split into two herds. There may be one or two stray male elephants other than that. One of the herds is in the Lalgarh forest in West Midnapore and the other in Jhargram's Jamboni forest," said Sakti Sankar Dey, chief conservator of forest, western circle, who will monitor the operation from Calcutta.

The GPS-enabled radio collars will provide updates in real time about the location of a herd and help track them within the state as well as during migration. A tool embedded in the collar will send signals 24X7.

"This is the first time elephants will be radio collared in south Bengal," Dey said.


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Jumbos head for Bengal

Jamshedpur: Two elephant herds from Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary have started ambling towards Bengal.

The herds, comprising about a dozen elephants in each, are anchored at Digha and Chekam jungles of Ghatshila, around 30km from Dalma and 25km from the Bengal border.

Jamshedpur divisional forest officer Saba Alam Ansari said, "Generally, the elephants from Dalma migrate to Bengal in August-September and return to their habitat in February-March. But there has been a deviation in their behaviour as around 24 elephants have started moving towards Bengal."

The DFO said the reason for their untimely movement was intermittent rain causing vegetation to grow along the migratory corridor connecting Dalma to West Midnapore and Bankura jungles in Bengal.

"There are over two dozen check-dams in the 55km-long elephant corridor between Dalma and West Midnapore and Bankura. And when there's vegetation around, elephants come out of Dalma," said the senior forest officer.

Interestingly, two more herds of elephants from Bengal are currently stationed at Pochakholi and Rajabasa jungles at Chakulia block in Ghatshila sub-division.

Chakulia forest range officer Gorakh Ram said he had never seen movement of elephants in such large numbers during mid-summer.

"Two herds comprising 11 and 13 elephants in each are anchored in Pochakoli and Rajabasa jungles which fall under my range. These elephants are from Bengal and they are here since the past two days," said Ram.



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Jumbo menace rattles villagers near India-Nepal border

Residents of at least half a dozen villages in Champawat’s Tanakpur are spending sleepless night due to marauding herd of wild elephants in the region that forage through standing crop and fruit orchards. Villagers say that they are forced to stay awake at night to drive away the wild herds to save their crops and dwellings. Over the last one year, residents of villages in the region, including Thwalkhera, Khetkhera, Gaindakhali, Naya Goth, Kakrali gate, Uchauligoth and Bastia lived in fear of a tiger that was reported to roaming the region surrounded by dense forest on one side and the other by the India-Nepal border. Four women from the Kakrali gate, Thawalkhera, Naya Goth and Bastia were allegedly mauled to death by the big cats in less than a year while collecting fodder and firewood in the forest, villagers say. This apart, villagers have lost a number of livestock that fell prey to the big cats, some of them say. Following the increase in the incidents of man-animal conflicts in the region, forest officials placed cages and camera traps to catch the big cats in Sharda and Boom range but have failed to capture the tiger, villagers say, and add that forest officials do not respond to their desperate calls for help. Satish pandey, a villager, says, “Whenever we inform the forest officials, they don’t turn up in time to chase the elephant herds so we ourselves, have to ward off the animals by beating drums and utensils or bursting crackers.” “The forest watch and ward staff do not patrol region.” Tanakpur sub divisional officer Rajesh Srivastva, however, says that the villages fall in the periphery of an elephant corridor, which starts from the Rajaji Tiger Reserve to the western parts of Nepal. “Movements of pachyderms along the villages that fall on the elephant corridor are considered quite common.” He, however, says that the elephants do not enter the villages in search of fodder as it is in abundance in the forest. “Elephants by nature migrate from one place to another are known to destroy whatever comes on the way as it is the behavioral instinct of elephants.”.


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Wild tuskers sent back to reserve forest

A herd of eight wild elephants was sent back to Kadagandi reserve forest area with the help of trained elephants which were brought from Chittoor forest area. Wild elephants entered into plain areas in Amudalavalasa four days ago.

After visiting the spot, chief conservator of forests, Rahul Pandey, discussed the issue with principal chief conservator of forests and brought two trained elephants, Ganesh and Jayanth, from Chittoor district. On Friday evening, ‘Operation Gaja’ started with the help of trained elephants. The herd of wild elephants followed the trained elephants and entered into reserve forest area by Friday night.





“Actually, we requested seven days to send wild elephants into reserve forest area,” district forest officer (territorial) and wild life in-charge, Chalumuri Shanthi Swaroop told The Hans India.

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Elephants trample a youth to death in Srikakulam

Tension has gripped the Kothuru Mandal in Srikakulam district as a 32-year-old man got killed by a herd of elephants near Ponnaturu village. The victim, Tampitaguda Kumar, was trampled to death on Saturday night by a couple of elephants that were roaming in the area it has been reported. Kumar’s dead body was discovered in the early hours of Sunday.

Local people claim that the elephants have been coming to the city in search of food and water during the summer and are killing people. With Saturday’s event proving to be the 23rd case in the recent past, the locals are petrified and have asked the local officials and concerned departments to alert them on the movement of the elephants. It has also been learned that the villagers had a heated argument with the officials on Sunday, for allegedly neglecting their plea to send the tuskers to a zoological park. The officials, on the other hand, said that the matter was in Supreme Court and transferring the animals immediately wasn’t easy.

The rise in temperatures is being cited as one of the major reasons why the jumbos have started causing a ruckus in the area. 11 forests are known to be spotted in the area, with seven of them being new in the area, a senior official told TOI.

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Dalma on alert over jumbo entry

Jamshedpur: The Dalma range office in Mango is on a high alert as two separate herds of about 50 elephants, including calves, may slip into the 192sqkm sanctuary anytime.

The jumbos are stationed at Jhunjka and Patamda, which are located close to the sanctuary. Eighteen from the group were spotted near Nutandih in the periphery of the Dalma reserve.

Instructions have been issued to foresters, guards and trackers (village youths recruited as daily wagers to keep a tab on the movement of elephants and other animals) to keep a close watch on the herds who are ambling back home after their annual sojourn in the jungles of West Midnapore and Bankura in neighbouring Bengal.

"We are on alert as we want safe passage of the jumbos into the sanctuary. We don't want them to damage standing crops in human settlements surrounding the sanctuary," Dalma range officer R.P. Singh said.

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Two elephants, calf found dead in Kodagu

A cow elephant and its calf were found dead in a coffee plantation, while another  was found in a tank at a coffee estate in Virajpet taluk of South Kodagu on Thursday.

The cow elephant and its calf were found dead in the coffee estate at Soorikadu near Nalkeri. Forest officials, who examined the carcasses, suspect that the cow elephant, which had sustained a bullet injury, might have collapsed on its calf, killing it on the spot.

Deputy Conservator of Forests Maria Christu Raja told Deccan Chronicle that the samples of the two carcasses had been sent for forensic tests.

The carcass of a tusker , aged 20, was found in a tank in the coffee estate at Nalkeri. Raja suspects that a herd of elephants might have entered the estate in search of water. The tusker, which entered the tank, got caught in the slush and drowned.

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Bamboo fences around wells to prevent jumbos from falling into them

Five of these 41 elephants have died.The forests adjoining Athmalik, Athgarh, Dhenkanal and Cuttack are 'elephant-rich' in forester's terms. "But the very fact that they are around the wells will help elephants know from a distance that there is a physical barrier. We will mix both and raise a fence, four to five feet above the ground," Samantra said.He clarified that any fence - wooden or concrete - can be damaged by elephants. The elephants won't be caught unawares upon coming close to the wells. These same animals also face dangers stemming from human mistakes, like the threat of abandoned wells.Divisional forest officer (Athmalik) Samyak Samantra said creating these wooden barriers involves only the cost of labour.

BHUBANESWAR: To save elephants from falling into abandoned wells, the forest department in the Athmalik division has decided to construct wooden bamboo fences around such wells.Wells that have dried up and are no longer in use pose a major threat to the pachyderms as they cannot gauge their depth and fall in them, resulting in as many as 41 cases of elephants having been injured from falling into unused wells since 2012.

Five of these 41 elephants have died.The forests adjoining Athmalik, Athgarh, Dhenkanal and Cuttack are 'elephant-rich' in forester's terms.

In these regions, elephant herds create havoc in human habitations, damage crops and destroy houses.

These same animals also face dangers stemming from human mistakes, like the threat of abandoned wells.Divisional forest officer (Athmalik) Samyak Samantra said creating these wooden barriers involves only the cost of labour.

"We have bamboo that are cut and pruned to allow further growth.

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Speeding Train Plows Into Elephants in India, Killing 5 Animals

NEW DELHI — The night train to Silchar was moving fast — too fast, the authorities say.

As it chugged into a forested area of northeastern India on Saturday night, a group of villagers waved their flashlights frantically, urging the driver to slow down. He didn’t know why, but he soon found out.

Ahead in the darkness, a large herd of elephants was ambling across the railway tracks. When the train driver finally saw what was in front of him, he hit the emergency brake, railway officials said, but it was too late.

The 14-car passenger train plowed right into the herd. Two calves and two adult elephants were killed instantly, and an adult elephant that was badly injured died on Monday. Some local news reports said that several baby elephants had not even moved as the train approached, and that adult elephants had sought to protect them by surrounding them.

Indian forestry officials said the warnings had been ignored for a simple reason: The train was running 10 minutes late.

“The driver was trying to cover up the time,” said P. Sivakumar, a senior forestry officer in northern Assam, the state where the accident happened. The incident is now under investigation.


In some parts of India, especially in the northeast, it is quite common for elephants to pass through populated regions or to step across railway tracks — or even four-lane highways — in search of food. Many areas have been designated elephant corridors, where drivers are supposed to proceed with caution.

In the case over the weekend, the train operator was traveling above the speed limit of 30 kilometers, or about 20 miles, an hour, forestry officials said. Earlier in the day, the Forestry Department had sent several urgent notifications to railway operators that a large elephant herd was moving through the Habaipur area, about 250 kilometers north of Silchar, near India’s border with Bangladesh. The area is deep green on most maps, and a well-known refuge for elephants.

This episode is the latest in an unfortunate pattern. As recently as December, a train in Assam killed five adult elephants, including one that was pregnant.

But in India’s wildlife community, the latest accident seems to have reverberated more, adding to the sadness and outrage that has been building.

“The railways need to be held accountable,’’ said Prerna Singh Bindra, a conservationist and writer. “How come we have not learned our lessons?”

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Prompt action saves jumbos from accident

GUWAHATI: Prompt action by railway and forest staff averted a mishap when a herd of 73 elephants came close to the railway tracks between Jugijan and Hojai stations under the Lumding division on Tuesday night.

The Dibrugarh-Amritsar Express was crossing the point at 7.40pm. "Railway and forest staff on duty immediately informed and signalled the loco pilot to stop the train. As a result, the train could be controlled and the entire herd of 73 elephants was allowed to cross the railway track. After that, the train resumed its journey. Thus, an imminent collision was avoided due to timely action and close coordination among forest and railway officials," Northeast Fronter Railway chief public relations officer Pranav Jyoti Sharma said.

Sharma added that the same herd crossed the railway track again at 5.17am on Wednesday.
Two elephants were mowed down by a train on the outskirts of the city last month. NFR said railway authorities have been issuing temporary speed restrictions and caution orders as and when intimation on elephant movement is received from on-duty railway or forest officials, while permanent speed restrictions are imposed on notified elephant corridors.

It added that over 12 imminent elephant-train collisions were averted last winter.
Last year, at least seven elephants died due to collision with trains. Most of the jumbo casualties were outside the identified vulnerable locations where elephants normally cross the railway tracks.

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FIR over jumbo electrocution

Guwahati: The Assam forest department will lodge an FIR against the Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL) and the contractor who modified the route of the transmission line passing through a paddy field in Hojai leading to the electrocution of an elephant.

A Lumding-Guwahati empty rake was stopped between Hojai and Jugijan by forest personnel of Nagaon south division at 4.45pm on Thursday and around 60-odd elephants from Kumarakata reserve forest moved towards Tongipathar area safely.

"A 12-year-old female elephant moved out of the herd, came in contact with the low-lying transmission line and got electrocuted. The contractor, without following due procedures, modified the route of the transmission line to save money. An FIR will be lodged against APDCL and the contractor," a senior forest official told The Telegraph.

The incident took place in Dondipathar revenue village near Hojai town around 11pm on Thursday.

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