A Forest Department team of around 40 officials are monitoring the herd that entered the state from Chhattisgarh on October 23; lights installed in villages in the vicinity; early warning systems in the offing
The elephant herd has settled in Dhanora forest and Murumgaon forest patch in Gadchiroli which has enough food and water sources
It seems that the elephant herd that migrated to Gadchiroli in Maharashtra from Chhattisgarh around three weeks ago have made the Dhanora forest and Murumgaon forest patch their home. A team of around 40 Forest Department staff, which has been following the herd round the clock, found that the elephants have settled in the area without causing much trouble to the villagers. It is said that the area where the herd is roaming has plenty of water and food sources.
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Talking to mid-day, Kishor Mankar, conservator of forest, Gadchiroli, said, “The forest department team is monitoring the herd of elephants 24/7. We are also making sure that regular awareness is being done in the villages close to the forest patch where the elephants are roaming.” Some elephant experts from West Bengal were also called to Gadchiroli to educate people about how they should keep the elephants away from the village.
“There have been a few cases of crop raiding and damage to the house of one villager by the elephants, but the forest department made sure compensation was given immediately. We have installed lights in the villages that the elephants are visiting and will also set up an early warning system in these villages,” said Mankar.
Gadchiroli district, which has the highest forest cover in the state, did not have any elephant population. According to Forest Department officials, the herd of elephants has migrated from the forest of Rajnandgaon district in neighbouring Chhattisgarh.
On October 23, around 16-20 elephants were spotted in the forest at Dhanora taluka near Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border. There are also talks in the wildlife circles that this might be a forced migration as the forest patch in Chhattisgarh is getting fragmented due to mining. There have also been several instances of human-elephant conflict in Chhattisgarh recently.
23 Oct
Day when the herd was first spotted in the state
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