A herd of around 30 elephants with calves entered the buffer area of Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in Chandrapur from Gadchiroli district, causing panic among villagers. This herd is constantly on the move from Gadchiroli to Chandrapur districts after crossing the Wainganga river. As per the information, the herd is currently in Chandrapur district and moving close to buffer area. Keeping the movement of elephants in mind, the Forest Department alerted all villages situated on the path of the herd in Chandrapur district. To keep the herd away from buffer area of TATR, the Forest Department has deployed a team of 30 forestmen to monitor the movement of elephants with the help of drones and other state of the art technologies.

 

The 30-member team has been divided into small teams to track the route of the herd. Two drones are in use to track the movement. As per the information, the herd entered Chandrapur five days ago and is moving towards TATR. After crossing Wainganga River, the herd travelled through Asolamendha, Saimara, Karoli, etc. The herd was last spotted in Golabhuj-Murmadi area in Chandrapur district couple of days ago. Human-elephant conflict is a main concern for the department and to avoid such encounter, the Forest staff are constantly conducting monitoring and tracking of the herd. With the help of drones, the department is constantly monitoring the route of the herd and also, mapping their path in the forest. Intensive foot patrolling is also underway by the Forest staff to keep elephants away from villages or human settlements.

 

As per the information, Forest Department appealed villagers to be vigilant and avoid being in front of the herd while they are moving. It also asked villagers residing close to forest boundaries and TATR buffer areas to remain cautious and vigilant. The herd is travelling from Telangana forests to Gadchiroli, Chandrapur, Navegaon-Nagzira Tiger Reserve (NNTR) in Gondia district, Bhandara district and also in the forests of Chhattisgarh for the last few years. Due to the movement of this herd, 13 human lives were lost in which 11 were in Gadchiroli district and 2 in Telangana.