Bandhavgarh deaths: Experts probe nature of toxins consumed by elephants
Ten elephants part of a herd of 13 died at the Madhya Pradesh reserve last week of what officials said was suspected poisoning after they consumed kodo millet
The autopsy of some of the elephants that died at the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (BTR) showed traces of toxins, officials said on Saturday, but added that their nature was not immediately clear, making it difficult to determine whether they were intentionally poisoned or consumed crops that had poisonous infestation.
Ten elephants part of a herd of 13 died at the Madhya Pradesh reserve last week of what officials said was suspected poisoning after they consumed Kodo millet.
According to officials aware of the matter, the School of Wildlife Forensic and Health (SWFH) found toxins in the blood and other samples collected from some of the elephants. The autopsy found the tuskers consumed “good quantity” of the crop, which was infested by Aspergillus and Penicillium fungi, one of the officials said, asking not to be named.
“There are many instances in the past when humans and animals have been affected with Kodo poisoning. However, this can be corroborated only with toxicological reports and other evidence. Teams are inquiring the cause of deaths and the nature of toxins may be ascertained from reports from IVRI (Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly) and FSL (Forensic Science Laboratory), Sagar,” the official added.
Agricultural experts, however, added that more investigation is needed since it is unlikely for the infestation on the millet for these naturally occurring fungi alone to cause such rapid and severe effects in large mammals like elephants without affecting other animals in the area.
The Union environment ministry formed a panel on Saturday to probe the deaths and directed the state government to set up its own five-member committee for an independent investigation. The ministry has not commented on whether the incident was retaliatory poisoning after the tuskers raided crops.
“As per the preliminary information shared by the concerned officers from the State of Madhya Pradesh, the death of the elephants may be because of poisoning. The final cause of death shall only be ascertained after through inquiry, detailed Postmortem reports, results of histopathological and toxicological reports and other corroborative evidence,” the ministry said in a note on Saturday.
The ministry also announced the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) would conduct an independent inquiry. State forest officials are monitoring other elephant herds in and around the reserve to prevent similar incidents.
SWFH veterinary Dr AP Shrivastava, a member of the expert committee, said initial investigations suggested mycotoxins found in the bodies were produced by fungi. “In the initial investigation, mycotoxins, produced due to fungus in Kodo, were found in the body of elephants but the exact toxin and reason will be found in the toxicology report. The forensic report and toxicology report will be received by the end of this week,” he said.
Three committees are investigating the deaths - the state panel headed by additional principal chief conservator of forest L Krishnamoorthy, the State Tiger Strike Force, and the WCCB team.
Krishnamoorthy, the additional principal chief conservator of forest who heads the state panel, said the administrations is not ruling out “any foul play in the matter and also not blaming only millets for deaths” yet. “It is just a preliminary investigation that suggested the presence of mycotoxins and kodo in the stomach of elephants. The forensic report will reveal the real reason behind the deaths,” he said.
Experts said it was imperative to wait for complete toxicology reports while stressing that poisoning, accidental or deliberate, is rare. “Deaths of elephants due to non-natural causes include railway accidents, electrocutions, and poaching. Accidental or deliberate poisoning is the rarest form. Preventing such incidents in the future would need a combination of more widespread disease screening mechanisms in wild elephants, prompt and fair compensation against crop losses due to elephants to prevent retaliatory deaths, and better enforcement and conviction in case of offences to deter illegal killings of elephants,” said Aritra Kshettry, national lead for elephant conservation, WWF-India.
Kshettry added that forest zones where the giants are constantly expanding their range — including Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Chhattisgarh — need robust monitoring protocols. “These can include GPS collars and the inclusion of local communities in conservation planning for sustained coexistence between people and elephants. To prevent accidental poisoning, there should be strict regulations on the use, storage, and disposal of potentially lethal items in areas where elephants frequent,” he added.
The remaining three elephants killed two people on Saturday in separate incidents in the Umaria area of the reserve.
Agricultural experts said Kodo millet poisoning was unlikely since the crop does not require pesticides in India since infestations are rare. “Kodo millets don’t require any additional expenses of pesticide. It requires only water to grow. Fungi present on Kodo millet can’t kill the biggest mammal in the forest. If it was the case then other wild animals or domestic animals must have also died but there is no such report,” said Amarnder Reddy of Indian Council of Agricultural Research.
Echoing similar views, wildlife expert Ajay Dubey said: “Kodo millet is a staple crop in tribal areas especially in Dindori, Mandla, Shahdol and Katni. In the forest, monkeys consume it in large quantities but monkeys are absolutely healthy so it seems like a case of poisoning.”
Another expert stressed on the need for a thorough probe. “A poaching case must be registered if it involves deliberate poisoning, as elephants are protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. It is important to note that Madhya Pradesh did not have elephants in recent history. The elephants now resident in the region migrated from neighbouring states due to habitat loss, which means local communities may not be accustomed to their presence. To ensure human-elephant coexistence, we must work extensively with the local population, sensitising them and providing appropriate compensation for any damage to crops or property,” said Debadityo Sinha, lead — climate & ecosystems, Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy.
Another expert said that growing encroachment by humans into wild is taking the conflict to new levels.
“Coming to the eastern part of the country, in the districts of Southern West Bengal, another hot spot of human elephant conflict, growing cases of conflict causes elephant fatalities every year. Very recently, a pregnant elephant was brutally killed by a burning iron rod thrown by a purported member of a Hulla team (engaged by the West Bengal forest department to drive elephants away from human settlements). Knee jerk reactions to tackle this will not bring about any fruitful results in the long run. The conflicts need to be addressed by adopting a multi pronged approach - creating long term food sources for elephants, providing sufficient and speedy compensation to the affected farmers, ensuring security to villagers by providing fences, etc. and creating properly trained quick response teams to deal with effectively tackle conflict situations with local enforcement authorities, among other things,” said Meghna Banerjee from Human and Environment Alliance League.