Uttarakhand can’t radio collar this elephant, points to its ‘size’

The Uttarakhand forest division and researchers from Wildlife Institute of India (WII) have come throughout a ‘giant’ elephant close to Haridwar in Rajaji panorama just lately which they are saying is so big they’ll’t radio collar it. They mentioned it is likely one of the largest elephants they’ve come throughout within the Himalayan state, the place the elephant inhabitants has crossed the 2000 mark, in accordance with the elephant census launched a couple of days again.

Bivash Pandav, a senior scientist from WII, who’s heading the identification and choice course of, confirmed that this was one of many largest animals discovered within the explicit panorama.

“This elephant is likely to be one of the largest animals in the area around Haridwar forest division, where it primarily roams around and goes up to Uttar Pradesh. We have also seen it in the eastern part of Rajaji Tiger Reserve occasionally. It moves in the human-dominated area, except crop-raiding it has not attacked anyone,” mentioned Pandav.

He added that this grownup male elephant, roughly round 50 years of age, “roams around solitary and does not stay with the herd.”

The forest officers got here throughout the jumbo whereas figuring out elephants that should be radio-collared forward of Maha Kumbh 2021. The elephant is a suspected ‘problem elephant’ which ventures alone within the forests.

“There are many bulls (male elephants) roaming in the area and he is one of them. It would be difficult to radio-collar this elephant given its size as it is one of the largest elephants we have come across. We are still identifying problematic elephants which venture into human habitations that will be radio-collared for monitoring to ensure they don’t come into conflict with pilgrims during Maha Kumbh 2021. We have roughly identified around nine bulls who frequently use that area (where Maha Kumbh will take place),” added Pandav.

The researchers are looking for out the place the elephants spend time throughout the day so {that a} plan on tranquilising and radio-collaring them will be formulated. The elephants often come out at night time, when radio-collaring the animal is troublesome.

Dr Aditi Sharma, senior veterinarian of the Rajaji Tiger Reserve, mentioned, “This elephant is most likely a full-grown nine feet animal. Usually, dominant male elephants found in this region grow eight feet, but this particular elephant is most likely around nine feet given its physical features.”

Uttarakhand forest division authorities with the WII are engaged on radio-collaring a number of the elephants vulnerable to straying into human habitations in a bid to stop assaults on pilgrims, who’re anticipated to congregate in Haridwar for the subsequent yr’s Mahakumbh.

The state authorities is ready for approval from the Central authorities earlier than placing into movement the radio collar train. State forest division officers mentioned elephants often enterprise into areas, the place tents are arrange for the Mahakumbh pilgrims.

Tedhipuliya and Shyampur areas, close to Haridwar, are discovered to be a number of the areas most vulnerable to man-elephant battle, forest officers mentioned.

“Those elephants, which stray into human habitations, will be radio-collared. We’ll get a sense of their movement pattern after they’re radio-collared and work out a mechanism to prevent man-animal conflicts,” Sharma mentioned.

The forest officers had began their preparations since final November, when man-animal battle hotspots have been recognized and geo-tagged.