The deaths of three elephant calves in the last 17 days from the Dharamjaigarh forest division of Chhattisgarh have raised concerns regarding habitat loss, water scarcity and conflict with humans.
Forest officials and wildlife experts are worried over the deaths of three calf elephants over the last 17 days in Chhattisgarh’s Dharamjaigarh forest division. Representatives of a team of veterinarians and wildlife experts have been sent and invited from Dehradun, Bareilly and Jabalpur by the forest department to investigate the reasons behind the repeated deaths and to check the condition of elephant habitats in the forest in the area.
The latest incident occurred on Sunday evening in the Pureda-Amjhar forest range, where a calf was trapped in a marshy area within a pond. No rescue efforts were successful in treating the calf, after which the calf was able to escape. The mother elephant remained with the trapped calf for several hours and even pulled up trees in the area, hoping to free her calf, officials reported.
This team of experts will investigate what happened to the animals we have found dead and pass on expertise to bush staff with regards to wildlife response, wildlife post mortem and sample collection,” said DFO Kishore Kumar Upadhyay. He has stated that a conclusion has yet to be drawn with regard to the actual cause of the incidents.
Forest department reported eight calves of elephant died in the Dharamjaigarh forest division over five months a time. The fatalities have been attributed to drowning, being trapped in marshland, falling into wells and other mysterious reasons. In January, one elephant died falling into a well, and between the period of March and May, several calf deaths were reported.
There has been an investigation into the possibility that deforestation, degraded water and food availability are leading elephant herds into closer proximity with agricultural infrastructure, villages and human settlements. The expert team will take time in the forest areas to assess the habitat condition and propose preventative action to minimize elephant mortality in the future.