Seasonal fruits draw herd of tuskers close to Goa’s border (Keri) Rajendra P Kerkar, Times of India May 10, 2022 A herd of five elephants has been repeatedly sighted at Ker in Maharashtra’s Dodamarg taluka, a few kilometres from Goa’s border, apparently attracted by seasonal fruits growing in the area. Villagers said they have seen the herd, which comprises a male tusker, an adult female and calves, relishing on jackfruits, bananas and mangoes that abound in Ker, a village situated at the foothills of the Western Ghats. On Sunday, the elephants were spotted inside Devachi Rai, a sacred grove where ample food and water are available. Tushar Tukaram Desai, a wildlifer working in the Tillari areas, confirmed their presence. “We have repeatedly sighted five elephants in our village over the past three to four days,” he told TOI. In January 2020, the Maharashtra government had notified 29.53sq km as the Tillari Conservation Reserve for the conservation of elephants, tigers and leopards. However, some are of the view that not much else has been done since. Dodamarg-based wildlifer Sanjay Natekar claimed that no sincere efforts have been made to provide trained and experiencedforest personnel or necessary infrastructure. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/seasonal-fruits-draw-herd-of-tuskers-close-to-goas-border/articleshow/91477168.cms