Wild elephants stray into east MP from Chhattisgarh

Several elephants have strayed into Madhya Pradesh's eastern districts, Singrauli and Anuppur, from the bordering Chhattisgarh, causing concern among the locals and forest officials.

Updated on: Dec 27, 2014, 17:37:34 IST

Hindustan Times | By Neeraj Santoshi, Bhopal

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Several elephants have recently strayed into in Madhya Pradesh's eastern districts of Singrauli and Anuppur, from bordering northern Chhattisgarh, causing concern among the locals and forest officials.

According to locals from Singrauli's Kusadi area, two male elephants (bulls) came near a village, creating panic among the locals. The villagers started stoning the elephants and used their dogs to chase them away.

This agitated the elephants and one of them attacked a villager. The victim, identified as Ranjeet Yadav, was thrown a few metres away by an irritated elephant using its trunk. Yadav has injured his foot and received other minor injuries.

Sub-divisional officer (SDO) forests, Singrauli Deoser range, PPS Parihar confirmed that elephants had strayed into the district in Kusadi area, adding that they were driven away by the locals. He said one person was attacked by an enraged elephant and he was being shifted to the district hospital for treatment.

Parihar said the elephants have been straying into the district occasionally for the last one decade in winter months, while they are on their journey through traditional corridor from Odisha to Chhattisgarh and back. "While returning, they stray into our side," he said.

In Anuppur district's Aamadand village, three elephants, including a baby elephant, had strayed into lawns one villager Munnu Prajapati two days ago. The villagers burst crackers and drove them away into the forest area.

District forest officer (DFO) Anuppur DS Kanesh confirmed that the forest staff and locals managed to drive away the elephants towards the forest area by drum beating and bursting of crackers.

Kanesh said in 2010 also, a herd of elephants had strayed into their district. "That time, we caught one elephant, which was later sent to Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve," he said.

According to experts, elephants migrate from Orissa, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh to adjoining areas in Chhattisgarh and MP as these states have abundance of bamboo, standing crops and water, which attracts them.

Also, elephants come to MP in search for 'mahua' flower, sugarcane, paddy and other eatables in fields and houses. Generally herds take refuge in small patches of forests during the daytime, and come out and raid the crops during night.

In Madhya Pradesh, elephant straying was first noticed in Sidhi district in 2002. Later, they began straying into Shahdol district from Chhattisgarh.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Neeraj Santoshi
Neeraj Santoshi is the Chief of Bureau for Hindustan Times in Uttarakhand, where he leads the state reporting team while covering government, politics, environment, wildlife, Uttarakhand High Court, and issues shaping the Himalayan region. With more than two decades in journalism across conflict zones, he has covered politically sensitive regions and environmentally fragile landscapes, and focused on stories that combine public interest with in-depth storytelling. An alumnus of Pune University with a Master’s in Communication Studies, he has reported extensively from Jammu & Kashmir (2003-2010), Madhya Pradesh (2010 to 2018 ) and Uttarakhand (Since 2018), covering subjects ranging from insurgency, elections and governance to wildlife conservation, mining, climate change, agriculture, human rights and social justice. He has covered politics and legislative assemblies of both Jammu & Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh over more than a decade. Before taking over as Chief of Bureau in Uttarakhand, he served as Special Correspondent with Hindustan Times in Madhya Pradesh and earlier reported for both Hindustan Times and The Indian Express in Jammu & Kashmir, where he covered state politics, environment and insurgency-related developments. Over the years, his stories have focused on environmental degradation, wildlife, illegal mining, governance and the changing social fabric of Himalayan states and Central India. He is particularly interested in long-form explanatory journalism, and stories that explore the intersection of ecology, conservation, governance and society. Outside the newsroom, Neeraj enjoys reading widely on neuroscience, consciousness studies, Artificial Intelligence and quantum physics, with a special interest in Kashmiri Tantric Shaivist traditions. He is also passionate about wildlife, mountaineering and the Himalayas, interests that continue to inform his reporting and deepen his understanding of the region he covers.Read More

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