In a tragic yet shocking incident, at least two people died while one other suffered injuries in a separate attack by a group of three elephants, which are believed to be part of thirteen ill-fated jumbos, of which ten have already died under suspicious circumstances in Madhya Pradesh's Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (BTR). According to the information received, the pack of three tuskers first attacked and killed Ramratan Yadav in Devra village, situated some 10 kilometers away from BTR. Later they went on attacking Bhairav Kol (35) from Brahe village, situated in the buffer zone of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, and lastly injured Malu Sahu (32) in Banka, just outside the reserve.
Three elephants may be part of the 13-strong herd that witness 10 deaths
Speaking of the details of the incident, the official stated that the three elephants that went on a rampage and attacked three individuals might be part of the thirteen-elephant group, of which ten have recently died under suspicious circumstances. However, the exact confirmation of the claim can only be made after the collection of data from the monitoring process, the official added.
Significantly, amid the incident, a source recounted the experience he witnessed during the cremation of the elephants. He stated one of the surviving tuskers from the herd of 13 had arrived at the spot where the bodies of 10 deceased jumbos were being buried, apparently to mourn. He mentioned that the pachyderm started trumpeting, stomped his feet, and did vigorous ear-flapping, leaving the forest department personnel as well as others who had gathered at the spot in shock.
Meanwhile, another official, on condition of anonymity, has stated that the three surviving elephants from the herd are presently wandering in a radius of 15 kilometers from the site where the 10 died.
All you need to know about the death of ten elephants
According to the information released, the patrolling staff of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve first detected the death of four elephants in Salkhania beats of Pataur and Khiatuli ranges of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh on 29.10.24. The officials stated that, on further checking of the area, six more elephants were found sick or unconscious in the vicinity. Immediately, their medical treatment has also been initiated under the surveillance of field staff and local veterinary officers, which was also supported by a team of veterinarians from the School of Wildlife Forensic and Health (SWFH).
However, four sick elephants succumbed to death on 30.10.24. Latest, on 31.10.24, another two sick and unconscious elephants lost their lives, taking the total count of elephants who have died in the region to ten. "Out of those dead ten elephants, one was male and nine were female," the officials stated. "Further, amongst the ten dead elephants, six were juveniles/subadults and four were adults. The information revealed that the herd of thirteen elephants had raided the Kodo millet crop in the vicinity of the forest," they added.
(With inputs from PTI)
