A lone wild elephant, designated as E-5 by forest officials and blamed for killing three people, attacking cattle, and a stray dog in Madhya Pradesh's Shahdol-Anuppur forest belt, has been successfully rescued and relocated. Officials concluded that the animal was stressed and disoriented following its separation from the herd.
Distress After Separation
Forest officials stated that the tusker was not rogue by nature but appeared to be in distress after its herd moved back to Chhattisgarh, leaving it alone in the Anuppur and South Shahdol forest divisions. The elephant had caused panic in villages due to fatal encounters, livestock attacks, and damage to houses.
Rare Behavioral Shift
In a rare development during the high-risk rescue operation, E-5 developed a calm association with Rama, a trained camp elephant from Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve. This behavior helped teams safely capture and shift the animal. Officials noted that the wild elephant voluntarily approached Rama twice and interacted peacefully, giving the first clear indication that it was seeking social contact rather than confrontation. This observation led wildlife experts to reassess the animal's condition and change the rescue strategy.
Rescue Operation Details
The operation was conducted under the guidance of Chief Wildlife Warden Dr. Samita Rajoura and Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) L. Krishnamurthy. Joint teams from Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, South Shahdol, North Shahdol, and Anuppur forest divisions participated, led by Dr. Anupam Sahay, Field Director of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, and Mahendra Pratap Singh, Chief Conservator of Forests, Shahdol. Wildlife veterinarians, mahouts, drone teams, and forest staff were involved in round-the-clock tracking and village alerts.
Tranquilisation and Relocation
The first tranquilisation attempt on May 22 failed after E-5 resisted loading and damaged the transport crate and GPS collar. Officials revised the plan overnight and successfully radio-collared and shifted the elephant to the Bandhavgarh range the next day. It has been placed near another herd for monitoring and rehabilitation. For forest staff, the operation ended with the capture of a conflict elephant and hopes that a lonely tusker, separated from its herd, may get a second chance.
