Two wild elephants roaming through Gadchiroli entered the Shivni forest range in the buffer zone of the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve early Friday morning. Their arrival caused panic among villagers and led the forest department to increase surveillance in the area.
Forest officials said the same elephants had entered Maharashtra from Chhattisgarh about three weeks ago. On May 11, they created panic in Manapur village in Kurkheda taluka of Gadchiroli district, where a woman was injured after falling while trying to flee from the approaching tuskers.
Since then, the two elephants have been moving steadily through a mix of forested areas and human settlements. On May 25, they were spotted roaming the streets of Gadchiroli city in the early morning hours, prompting forest teams to take action and drive them back into the forest.
On Thursday, the elephants crossed the Wainganga River and entered Saoli taluka in Chandrapur district. After passing through several villages along the way, they finally reached the Shivni forest range in the buffer zone of Tadoba around 6:30 am on Friday.
The sudden arrival of the elephants has scared people, especially in villages like Naleshwar, Kukkadheti, Jammala, and Pangdi. Forest officials have started telling people to be careful and avoid forest areas early in the morning and late in the evening.
Patrolling has been increased to monitor the elephants’ movements and avoid any possible conflicts. Officials have also clarified that these two tuskers are not part of the larger elephant herd that has been living in Gadchiroli district for several months. Although no people have been hurt so far, the forest department has admitted that the movement of these two elephants is becoming a growing concern.
“These repeated incursions are a cause for concern. Permanent and preventive measures are needed to mitigate the threat of escalating human-wildlife conflict,” a senior forest official said. Farmers have already expressed worries about possible damage to their crops and their own safety. Because of this, authorities are facing growing pressure to handle the situation carefully and protect both people and animals.
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