Half-tranquilised elephant wakes up, go away 5 forest officers injured in Odisha
2 min read
By Express News Service
BHUBANESWAR: A drive for radio-collaring of an elephant-in-conflict in Khurda district, barely 60 from Bhubaneswar, was suspended quickly on Monday after 5 members of the forest staff that was making an attempt to tranquilise the jumbo was injured s the pachyderm charged at them.
The injured included Khurda DFO Poornima P, two consultants from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, Assistant Conservator of Forests, Khurda and forester of Bhushandpur part in Khurda Forest Division (FD) the place the tranquilization was being tried.
One of the injured, the forester, is beneath therapy whereas the remaining have been discharged after preliminary medical consideration.
The incident passed off within the morning when the forest staff darted the elephant efficiently. However, the half-sedated jumbo was enraged and charged on the staff members who had been monitoring its motion. The elephant is reported to have proceeded into the forest.
“The injured were immediately shifted to AIIMS Bhubaneswar. All of them are out of danger now,” mentioned Regional Chief Conservator of Forest (RCCF) Bhubaneswar Manoj Mohapatra.
The Forest Department had determined to tranquilise the tusker after they had been unsuccessful in tranquilising one other jumbo, Ramu, a 30-year-old male elephant within the Khurda forests on Sunday. The forest groups had additionally didn’t radio-collar Ramu throughout their first try in Bharatpur reserve forest of Chandaka Wildlife Sanctuary in September.
This tusker was chosen for radio-collaring because it was identified to trigger crop injury each day. Its interplay with the human habitations had led to demise and accidents too which had prompted the Forest division to radio-collar it for monitoring its motion and behavior.
The challenge for radio-collaring of elephants is being applied by the forest division for the primary time within the state. The division has roped in Asian Nature Conservation Foundation (ANCF) and IISc, Bengaluru for this objective.
Forest officers mentioned the challenge is aimed to facilitate monitoring the motion of elephants within the battle in an efficient approach and assist enhance wildlife administration practices within the state.
They, nevertheless, admitted that radio-collaring of untamed elephants might be difficult if the jumbos are in rising phases or exhibiting aggressive behaviour. “Sedation is extremely difficult when an elephant turns aggressive during tranquilization,” mentioned a senior forest official.
The tranquilization will stay suspended in the intervening time and shall be assessed at a later stage, mentioned a press launch from Khurda Forest Division.
