DEHRADUN: As Haridwar prepares for the Ardh Kumbh, the forest department has launched a special operation to track rogue elephants that frequently move from forests into human settlements.
Officials said the movement of elephant herds in Haridwar and adjoining areas remains a major concern as large numbers of devotees are expected during the mela. Several herds routinely enter villages, farms and urban areas, leading to human-elephant conflict. Some elephants have become habituated to human settlements and farmland.
The department is focusing on identifying and monitoring herd leaders to track the movement of these groups. A one-tusked elephant, listed as highly troublesome in forest records, has been placed under special surveillance after being spotted repeatedly in populated areas.
Haridwar Division DFO Swapnil Aniruddh told this newspaper, “Identification of several elephants has been completed. Now, with the help of expert institutions, a detailed study of the behaviour of these elephants will be conducted.”
Officials have identified around 30 elephants active in and around the Haridwar Kumbh area. Many of them are known for damaging standing crops.
Wildlife expert and former deputy director of the forest department Rangnath Pandey told TNIE, “Due to continuous interference in elephants’ natural corridors, they face difficulty moving from one place to another. Consequently, they are forced to pass through villages and towns. This is why it is counted among the state’s most sensitive zones in terms of human-elephant conflict.”