An elephant strayed into Midnapore town from the forests of Salboni on Thursday evening, triggering panic among residents for over four hours before it was tranquilised and taken back to another jungle by foresters.
The elephant, which forest officials described as a male sub-adult, was first spotted on the Midnapore College ground around 8.30pm.
After it was tranquilised Sourced by Telegraph
“The elephant strayed into the town from the Bhadutala forest in the Salboni range (around 12km from the town). It seems to be a loner, not part of any herd,” said Sandeep Berwal, the divisional forest officer of Midnapore.
Within a short time, a large crowd gathered around the elephant, which moved towards the Midnapore Collegiate School. The crowd started swelling and followed the jumbo as it headed from the school towards the Midnapore Medical College and Hospital compound.
A crane lifts the elephant onto a truck Sourced by Telegraph
A large police team led by the additional superintendent of Midnapore reached the spot soon, followed by a team of foresters.
The cops were partially successful in keeping the crowd at bay. They kept making announcements, asking people to let the elephant move freely.
The forest team, which reached the spot on an improvised mini-truck fitted with hooter sirens and a variety of flashlights, carried tranquilliser guns and an assortment of slings, nets and iron shackles. The team initially tried to drive the elephant towards the Chandra forest range.
“But the elephant was traumatised in the presence of so many people. It was not aggressive but seemed scared and confused. So, we decided to tranquilise it,” said A.P. Singh, the chief conservator of forests (western circle).
The elephant took refuge in an abandoned grassland behind the hospital, said local forest officials. It was darted well beyond midnight.
Industrial rubber belts attached to the arms of the crane finally lifted the animal around 1.30am. A sub-adult elephant weighs around 2.5 tonnes (2,500kg). The crane placed the elephant on a truck that ferried it to the Sukhakhali forests in the Chandra range.
It was well past 2am, when the elephant was released in the forest. A team of guards kept a close watch on the jumbo.
“Around 8am on Friday, the elephant was seen moving freely in the forest,” the local forest official said.
The elephant released in the Sukhakhali forests in the Chandra range on Friday Sourced by Telegraph
Jumbos tagged
Two more elephants in the forests of north Bengal have been tagged with radio collars.
On February 22, an elephant from a herd in Gorumara was tagged and on Wednesday, another elephant from a different herd in Jaldapara was tagged, a forest official said.
The objective is to understand the movement patterns of elephant herds and preempt their raids on human settlements, thereby reducing human-animal conflicts, said a forest official in north Bengal.
Both tagged elephants are females in “leadership role” in their herds, said the official.
“The collars have been provided by a German institution, GIZ, which is collaborating with us in the project,” said V.K. Yadav, the chief wildlife warden of Bengal.
