Jamshedpur: Intensive forest patrol for Sendra force elephants exit Dalma (India) Wildlife Sanctuary
Jamshedpur: Intensive forest patrol for Sendra force elephants exit Dalma
(India) Wildlife Sanctuary
Avenue Mail
June 16, 2022
See link
https://avenuemail.in/jamshedpur-intensive-forest-patrol-during-sendra-force-elephants-exit-dalma-sanctuary/
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JAMSHEDPUR: Intensive patrolling by forest teams especially prior to the
annual tribal hunting festival, Sendra or Bishu Shikaar at Dalma Wildlife
Sanctuary, has forced wild elephants to take the exit route.
However, a section of the pachyderms that had migrated to Bengal earlier
are now stationed in the Chakulia forest range. A section of Dalma
elephants that had migrated to Bengal, was currently stationed in the
Chakulia jungles.
Around 70 Asiatic elephants have left the sprawling 192 sq km sanctuary, 30
km from Jamshedpur. The presence of these jumbos in Chakulia, has forced
forest authorities to issue an alert.
A Dalma forester said intensive patrolling by the forest staff during
Sendra has made the elephants leave the sanctuary. “Elephants are sensitive
animals who love to live in peace. The elephants got disturbed due to
plying of forest patrol vehicles across the sanctuary, including the core
pockets, during Sendra. The jumbos, including calves, took the exit route
to Chakulia in batches.”
Another forester informed, “Around 40-45 elephants, who don’t leave for
neighboring Bengal as part of their annual migration are still present
inside Dalma. The exit of elephants to Chakulia is temporary but when they
will amble back to Dalma cannot be predicted. Elephants are moody animals
who love movement. They would stay in Chakulia jungles as long as food and
water are available.”
The Dalma jumbos migrate to the jungles of Bankura and Midnapore in Bengal
in August-September and return in January-February. The elephants migrate
to Bengal via two designated corridors – one from Jhunjka, leading to
Nutandih, and the other from Burudih, passing through Narsinghpur,
Dalapani, Suklara and Aamdapahari. The corridors touch Dhalbhumgarh and
Chakulia.
Chakulia range officer Digvijay Singh confirmed the presence of elephants
and said that the department had issued an alert. Elephants are present in
the Chakulia jungles. “We have issued an alert. We are moving in vehicles
with loudspeakers and asking people to remain alert. We neither want
man-animal conflict nor destruction of crops and homes,” he added.
He informed that some elephants from Bengal and Odisha were also present in
Chakulia forest range.