Maharashtra: Elephant herd settled in Gadchiroli welcomes calf

The herd has 16-20 elephants

One of the elephants from a herd that recently walked from Chhattisgarh to settle in the Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra has apparently delivered a calf. If confirmed by authorities, it would be the first such birth in the wild in the state in many decades. Wildlife lovers were already excited after it was confirmed that the herd comprising 16-20 pachyderms had made Maharashtra its home. The latest development is another treat, they said.

A source from the forest department told mid-day, "The information coming from the ground says an elephant has given birth to a calf. When the herd entered Maharashtra from Chhattisgarh there were three calves. The addition of one more calf to the herd is very good news."

Considering that elephants are extremely protective of their families, officials tracking the herd will now have to monitor them more rigorously. Kishor Mankar, conservator of forest from Gadchiroli, said, "I will confirm with our ground team before commenting."

Gadchiroli district has the highest forest cover in the state but had no elephant population until recently. Forest officials said the herd of elephants that has been spotted there migrated from Rajnandgaon district in neighbouring Chhattisgarh. The herd was first seen in Maharashtra at Dhanora taluka in Murumgaon on October 23.

Officials and wildlife conservationists attributed the migration to the fragmentation of forest patches in Chhattisgarh due to mining. Several instances of human-elephant conflicts have also been reported from Chhattisgarh.

Oct 23
When the herd was first seen in Maharashtra