Meera Bhardwaj:
The movement of elephants from Dandeli to Belagavi to Maharashtra is being monitored to avoid any untoward incidents or conflict situation. This year nearly 20-21 elephants have come from Dandeli to Belagavi compared to 15-20 jumbos last year.
On November 4th between 6.00-6.30 pm, one lone tusker was found moving across the railway tracks of Tavargatti Railway Station located at Godholi and was also observed straying into the Tavargatti village. The Tavargatti-Balagund forest area falls under the Nagargali Range, Khanapur division, Belagavi circle.
This busy railway section has many fast-moving trains moving on the double track from morning to night. And vigilance and tracking of this tusker is imperative as the tusker may sustain serious injuries or death in the event of any fast-moving train hitting it.
The 20-21 elephants which are moving in some three to four groups have as usual taken the “natural elephant movement path” to traverse from Dandeli in Karnataka to Tillari Dam in Maharashtra which is about 70-80 kilometres apart.
In one group, there are seven elephants and one calf which have been observed in Singinkop village which is about 9 kilometres from Khanapur Sub-district headquarters. While the second group comprising two tuskers were found electrocuted on November 2ndin an agricultural field.
The third group has only one tusker that was observed at the Tavargatti railway station on 4th evening, however, some people claimed that there was one more jumbo in this group. In 2015, one elephant had died when a speeding train hit the jumbo at Manturga. The movement of the rest of the elephants has not been observed in the villages, so they may be in the forest areas, officials state.
Speaking to Green Minute, CCF Belagavi Circle Manjunath Chavan said, “This year, we have seen 20-21 elephants moving from Dandeli to Belagavi. In fact, monitoring is going on from both the sides to track their location and alert the people and avoid any conflicts. Earlier, we used to see the movement of only 15-20 elephants on this path.”
As such, there is no established “elephant corridor” in this region, so the pachyderm movement is observed on a natural path that is criss-crossed by 30-35 villages. The surroundings are rich in water sources, agricultural crops like sugarcane and paddy and forest areas.
Local villagers in Khanapur taluk report frequent sightings, raids and complain of crop losses. Presently, harvesting of sugarcane crops has just started while the harvesting of paddy crop started last month which has attracted these 3-4 groups of wild elephants from Dandeli.
The CCF added, “We are in fact, tracking two groups continuously so as to protect them as also avoid any conflict situation. To address the shortage of forest staff, we have taken staff from other ranges to deal with the situation.”
On the issue of electrocution of two tuskers which were in one group at Sulegali village, the CCF said, “One person – Ganapati Sateri Gurav has been arrested while another person (his son) – Shivaji Ganapati Gurav is absconding. We have sought a technical report from HESCOM regarding illegal power connections and hanging cables. The Vigilance Wing has also visited the area where the elephants were electrocuted.”
Local activists told Green Minute that Khanapur Forest Division has a rich biodiversity with its location in the Western Ghats. The region has a unique ecosystem of significant biological importance, with a mosaic of woodlands and grasslands that provide habitats for numerous endemic species. And it is home to a variety of species like tigers, leopards, elephants, Indian Gaur, sloth bear, sambar and it is a birder’s paradise.
The Khanapur Forest Division including the Bhimgad Sanctuary has 10 ranges. The Khanapur Sub-division has four ranges with the highest wildlife diversity. “However, patrolling is very weak and not much importance has been given as the Anti-Poaching Camp here has no staff while the RFO is based in Belagavi headquarters. With the movement of elephants from Dandeli to Khanapur every season, more frontline forest staff is needed,” a wildlife activist adds.
Meanwhile, a small team has been formed to visit those areas and villages where the elephants are moving and roaming around so as to check all illegal connections and hanging wires. Further, discussions are being held with HESCOM to tackle the issue and avoid any such incidents of elephant electrocution, the CCF, Belagavi added.