JAMSHEDPUR: In the wake of the recent elephant attacks on human habitat, the forest department is taking measures to stop the pachyderms from entering into the residential areas on the Dalma foothills.
Wild elephant often descend to the villages in the periphery of the Dalma sanctuary in search of water and food and end up destroying paddy fields and food stock. Few people were even trampled to death in the last few months when they came in way of their raids.
The department has issued orders asking the local guides to discourage visitors from loitering around the water bodies in the sanctuary so that jumbos walk freely to the ponds to quench the thirst.
The slope leading to the water bodies has also been levelled tohelp the jumbos walk with ease. In addition, the tourists have been barred from getting close to the elephants’ herd.
“The objective is to ensure free movement of elephants in the sanctuary. Any obstruction (from the visitors) diverts the herd from the original path and they tend to descend to the foothills),” said Dalma forest ranger Mangal Kachap.
The forest officials have informed that a herd from Bengal has recently arrived in the Dalma sanctuary and the jumbos are likely to stay here for the next few months.
“As long as the elephants stay in the sanctuary, we will make sure that food and water is available to them,” said a forest officer. There are 72 perennial water bodies spread across 192-sqkm area of the Dalma forest.
Four people, on an average, get trampled to death on the foothills of Dalma every year. Majority of the cases have been reported in the Seraikela and Patamda block of the two districts of Seraikela-Kharswan and East Singhbhum.
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