BHUBANESWAR: In Bharatpur reserve forest of Chandaka Wildlife Sanctuary, forest teams are on the lookout for Ramu since the last two days. In his 30s, the male elephant would be the first jumbo in conflict to be radio-collared in Odisha, if everything falls into place.
Ramu was sighted on Wednesday but it was 5.30 pm already and darting the jumbo during late afternoon was not a good idea. On Thursday, the teams made three attempts but in vain. Friday, could be their lucky day but it’s all about a good time and a good place as well.
Radio collaring of elephants in conflict has been tested in Assam, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Karnataka and Uttarakhand. It has been carried out in Nepal and Bhutan too but Odisha is attempting it for the first time. The project, taken up by Asian Nature Conservation Foundation (ANCF) and Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, was planned two years back but Covid came in the way. The State Wildlife Wing and ANCF team are now on ground to take it forward.
The first subject, Ramu, has been in conflict for last few years. Separated from its herd, it had strayed into Pipili and other parts of Khurda division and even claimed lives. Standing at about eight feet and a half, its height and peak growth are considered perfect for radio collaring.
Radio collaring of elephants, however, could be tricky. If the jumbo is in growing stages, collaring could be an exercise in futility as it might break off. Sometimes, it could be counter-productive if the collar stiffens the neck of the animal.Besides, the whole exercise of darting the jumbo and fitting the collar while it is standing is “jumbo” of a job. Sometimes JCBs are used to keep the head still. The teams at Chandaka Wildlife Sanctuary are leaving nothing to chance.
The collar which Ramu would be fitted with will have GSM connectivity to facilitate tracking. There are two more “makhanas” in Chandaka and one of them could be the next for the second phase of collaring. Both keep entering Nandankanan Zoo and damage its periphery apart from running into local villagers causing headache for the Forest Department. For that, Ramu’s must go off smoothly. The third one is a subject of elaborate study. From Rairangpur, this jumbo will be radio collared as part of an elephant movement study for a mining project at Badampahar. Though the region has more than one elephant, the one on radar of Wildlife Wing is one which is non-problematic.
“Apart from tracking elephants to minimise conflict, radio collaring of this elephant would provide us valuable data on the group, its movement and behaviour. As leader of the herd, this elephant can be insightful. This will help in management practices,” said Chief Wildlife Warden Sashi Paul. The Wildlife Wing is looking to fit this elephant with a hybrid radio collar. Hybrid radio collars are primarily designed in Germany and South Africa and made available in India by a single vendor.