RANCHI: The lone tusker that has killed at least 17 people in Jharkhand's Chaibasa is yet to be traced even as two drones were roped in to locate it. Forest officials said 6-7 teams of experts, with 6-10 people in each of them, have been deployed to trace the elephant.
From January 1 to 7, the elephant has killed 17 people in 12 different locations. The pattern of these attacks indicates that it only comes out in the night and hides in the forest during the day. Huts, barns, and granaries of forest villages along its path are its main targets.
“The elephant has been changing its location quickly, due to which, it has become difficult to trace it. After attacking human settlements, it moves to another place during the night itself and hides in the dense forests during the day, due to which we have not been able to trace it,” said West Singhbhum DFO Aditya Narayan. Meanwhile, no casualty was recorded on Wednesday night and hence it is being supposed that the elephant has moved deep into the forest, he added.
According to experts, this behaviour indicates that the elephant is in musth (mating season). Hence it is not afraid of anything and targets human settlements, repeatedly attacking the same types of structures where people sleep at night.
A male elephant enters musth during a heightened mating drive, a phase that lasts for weeks. During this period, the animal becomes highly aggressive, its eyes turn red, and it may attack humans as well as other elephants.
This strategy of attacking during the night and hiding in the forest during the day poses the greatest threat to the villagers.
The DFO said a team of experts has been called in from West Bengal to assist in the process of tranquilizing and capturing the elephant. They have also sought a team from the wildlife conservation organization 'Vantara' and further action will be expedited once they arrive.
“Simultaneously, public announcements are being made in affected villages to alert residents about the animal’s movement. Torches and firecrackers have also been distributed to help people stay alert and discourage the elephant from straying into human habitations,” the DFO said. At least two drone cameras, both thermal and normal, have also been deployed in the forests to monitor the elephant's movements round the clock, he added.
The DFO noted that the elephant is young and very agile, which is why, it is changing its location so quickly.
Locals say that the presence of Maoists and the fear of landmines laid by them has prevented forest officials from entering deep forest areas in the Kolhan region, due to which they have not been able to trace the tusker.
