Jumbo herd near Nilagiri

BHUBANESWAR: The ‘jumbo’ herd from Jharkhand’s Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary which had stationed itself in Mayurbhanj for over a week has moved to Nilagiri forests bringing with it anxious forest and police officials who are watching their every move 24x7. The herd which has begun to feed on the crop fields has at least 20 females and as many as 15 calves which could make the mothers aggressive. The Forest officials are watchful but unwilling to use any pressure which they think may force them to cause destruction in the region. “Last time, we had noticed that a number of females were pregnant which explains the large number of calves this time,” sources said. Elephants have a large gestation period which ranges from 18 to 22 months.The Balasore Forest Division officials have been using tribal dialects in public address systems to sensitise the locals about elephants. People have been requested to relocate to nearby schools and community centres if the herd’s movement is found too close to their habitation. Since the State Government has raised the crop loss and house damage compensation multi-fold, Balasore DFO Kedar Swain said, villagers have been asked not to worry about their harvest and stay clear off the pachyderms.  Although the 70-odd pack has not caused any damage to human habitations, the jumbos have been feeding on the crops. Their current location was sighted at Sajanagarh, about 6 km from Nilagiri. Apart from distributing IEC materials, one platoon police and a team of forest officials are on the job, monitoring the jumbos as well as people who could crowd them leading to disturbances. The Forest Department believes that the herd which had arrived in such a large group last year might actually make this journey as a seasonal migration. Although a family consists of about 20 to 22 elephants, this herd is a combination of at least four making the task of handling them difficult for the forest and wildlife officials. This year alone, elephants have damaged crops over 7,554 acre in the State. While over 36 elephants have died, the jumbos have killed 17 humans.