A dangerous sub-adult male elephant, responsible for a series of fatal attacks in Jharkhand's West Singhbhum district, has gone missing. The death toll from its rampage has climbed to 17 since it began on January 1. Despite efforts, forest officials have been unable to locate the animal to carry out a planned tranquilization and relocation operation.
Search Intensifies with National Experts
The forest department has escalated its search by calling in specialized teams from across the country. Chaibasa divisional forest officer Aditya Narayan confirmed that a skilled tracker from Vantara in Gujarat has already arrived in the district. Furthermore, a tracker from the renowned organization WildlifeSOS is expected to join the mission by Friday morning. Quick response teams from the neighboring states of Bengal and Odisha have been on the ground for the past two days, aiding in the massive search operation.
"We are camping in the fields, but it wasn't spotted today," Narayan stated in a phone conversation, highlighting the challenges faced by the teams. Forest personnel are maintaining a vigilant watch, but the elusive jumbo has managed to evade capture.
Erratic Movement Pattern Challenges Officials
According to a forest department officer, the elephant's movements have been highly unpredictable and widespread. The animal appears to be moving haphazardly across a vast area covering approximately a 100-kilometer circumference. This area spans three separate forest divisions, making the tracking operation exceptionally difficult.
The last confirmed sighting of the rogue elephant was on Wednesday in the Sialjod forest area of the Hatgamharia block, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Chaibasa forest division. Since then, the trail has gone cold, raising concerns among local communities and officials alike.
Community on Edge as Operation Continues
The primary goal remains to safely tranquilize and relocate the elephant to prevent further loss of human life. However, the animal's sudden disappearance has extended the period of anxiety for villagers in the affected regions. The forest department's strategy now hinges on the expertise of the newly arrived trackers to decipher the jumbo's path and corner it for the necessary intervention.
The incident underscores the growing challenges of human-elephant conflict in the region and the critical need for rapid, expert-led response mechanisms to handle such crisis situations.
