A Bamboo boom at Dalma wildlife sanctuary is all set to tickle jumbo taste buds.

Bamboo buds -- a favourite food of the elephants – will henceforth be found in abundance inside the sprawling 192sq km jumbo abode, 30 km from Jamshedpur, thanks to the Ranchi wildlife division which has earmarked plantation of over 1.5 lakh bamboo saplings across 10 locations.

The bamboo stumps are ready at nurseries and Dalma authorities are waiting for a green signal from the state forest department before going ahead with the plantation drive, which will take place at the east and west forest ranges of the sanctuary. Over 10,000 fruit-bearing saplings will come up at the earmarked locations.

These locations include Lailam (50,000 saplings), Koira and Somadih (8,000), Bota and Dhobni (10,000) and Dangdum (10,000) in the east while a total of 50,000 saplings are earmarked for Chaliyama, Hansada (10,000), Saherbera (10,000) and Dangardih (6,000), all coming under west forest range.

“The plants are ready at nurseries existing near the locations where plantation will take place. We are waiting for funds and a nod from the forest department, which is expected in about a week’s time,” said Dalma official said on condition of anonymity.

According to him, the entire effort is aimed at making ample food available for elephants inside the sanctuary to, therefore, deter them from straying into human habitat. “We are very serious about reducing man-animal conflict. Making food available in sufficient quantity would confine the jumbos to the sanctuary. Bamboo is the favourite food of elephants,” the official said.

The plantation drive will also help maintain the green cover. Dalma range officer (West) Dinesh Chandra said plantation should be completed in a week’s time. “But things depend on the weather conditions. The activity will take time if it rains heavily,” he said, adding monsoon is the best time for the exercise.

Village youths would be deployed at the earmarked locations once plantation is done. They will keep vigil and prevent animals from destroying the plants.

A forester said bamboo plants will be ready in less than a year’s time.

Bamboos have grown naturally in some parts of the sanctuary, including a forested area near Pinderbera forest guest house. “We intend to replenish bamboos so that numbers are maintained. More plantations will take place in future,” the forester added.