Study to tackle elephants' intrusion NT Staff Reporter Panaji Jan 24: Senior officials of forest departments of Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka to evolved a joint strategy to tackle problem of the intrusion of elephants into human habitat and decided to set up a study of reasons behind frequent movements of pachyderms from one state to another. The study would be conducted by Centre for Development of Asian Elephants Research and Conservation Centre of Indian Institute of Sciences and financial assistance and other support have been sought from the Union ministry of environment and forests, on how to keep the menacing elephants at bay.
Addressing reporters after day long meeting, the chief conservator of forests (Goa), Mr A K Wahal, said that the problem of trans-border movements of elephants could have link with the changing ecology and increase in their number in Dandeli reserve forest, in Karnataka. He also said that conditions in Tillari catchment area were ideal for elephants to make it their temporary habitation, as they provided enough food and water for them. Besides, pachyderms being nomads they travel large distances in search of food and that it was difficult to predict their movement and behaviour. The forest officials of three states also agreed to give priority to control the damage to villages and to focus on strategy to limit the strayed and straying elephants to Karnataka, besides studying their migration, the herd size, patterns of migration and recurrence. Other strategies agreed to by the officials include study of land use pattern in the states, habitat continuity, fragmentation, degradation and the threats to animals and strengthening of communication network and inter-state co-ordination. With regards to recent intrusion of elephants in Goa, the forest officials said that since the herd was very small comprising of two females and one calf, it had in all probability broken away from main herd and would reunite with it sooner or later. Since the calf was small it would not travel great distances and restrict its movements to smaller areas, they added. The principal chief conservator of forest (Maharashtra), Mr B Majumdar, said that intrusion of elephants was a new phenomenon to the state, like Goa. In all over 40 officials from three states participated in the day long programme.
