The herd of 22 wild elephants that has been in Kanker, Balod, Gariaband, Dhamtari districts of Chhattisgarh for the last nine years, has successfully surmounted the last natural barrier to settle down in its new habitat in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra. Conservationists say the habitat is ideal for elephants but express concern on possible human-elephant conflict during tendu leaf collection and in case of crop damage.
“The team of Chanda Hathni has entered the forest of Gadchiroli district in Maharashtra,” Satovistha Samajdar, Divisional Forest Officer of Dhamtari district told The Hindu .
The herd is very gentle, well behaved and even responds to the calls of the Balod and Dhamtari district field forest staff members, Ms. Samajdar said.
According to the forest officials, the Chanda Hathni herd entered Dhamtari district from Balod district forest ranges somewhere in February 2021. The forest officials narrated two interesting incidents the herd’s stay in Balod. After the male tusker departed, the herd was blessed with a baby. The forest officials also managed to change the radio collar of Chanda hathini that got damaged in September 2021.
The good history of an elephant herd comes from a combination of events: in this case, the Chanda Hathni herd enjoys a special place when it comes to their movement, from its exit from Odisha in 2013 to their nine year stay in the Kanker, Balod, Gariaband, Dhamtari districts of Chhattisgarh, from mating to raising several calves during this period.
The group of 22 elephants that has been in the forested areas in Dhamtari district for about 10 months, started travelling westwards in September without doing any harm to other wildlife or humans.
It eventually reached the outskirts of Gadchiroli district in Maharashtra categorised as tribal dominated with about 76 % of its area is covered with forest, said an official. The main river basin of the district is the Godavari, while Vainganga, Pranhita and Dina are three other major rivers flowing through the district, he said.
However, the district does not have any records of regular and resident elephants. In fact, the State was overwhelmed when in 2006, a herd of elephant entered Maharashtra from adjoining Karnataka.
The State government has drawn a long-term mitigation plan of about ₹1.4 crore to ensure safety to the elephants, and acquired drones for aerial monitoring of the animals’ movement in the night to ensure safety of villagers.
According to Deputy Conservator of Forests, Gadchiroli Division, S.R. Kumaraswamy, although this herd has appeared peaceful and harmless so far, it was being monitored closely and officials are preparing an action plan if it decides to stay in the district.
Along with the excitement is concern of human-elephant conflict.
“The migration of elephant herd to an area where there is no record with the forest department about when wild elephants were last sighted in Gadchiroli is a welcome note. There is no doubt that the area is one of the best possible forested lands, ideal for the elephant habitats,” said Kulojyoti Lahkar, a conservation biologist. “But the major focus should be on the human-elephant conflict that may arise during tendu leafs collection and in the event of crop damage (major crop is paddy).”
In the past three years in Chhattisgarh, 204 deaths have been reported due to human-elephant conflict. The elephant count in the State is estimated at 290 plus, said an official.
