Jumbos in Peril in Similipal

Elephants are in trouble in Similipal National Park, Odisha. Recently another batch of charred bones, skeletons of elephants were found decaying in Similipal National Park in the balikhala beat of Nawana South range. It is estimated that these elephants were killed about a month back.

It is surprising that the forest department senior officials were unaware about the mass killing of elephants in Similipal. Odisha's Chief Wildlife Warden Shri JD Sharma has ordered the suspension of the range officer of Nawana South range. The Chief Wildlife warden has said that now Wildlife Institute of India has been assigned the task of carrying out an enquiry. The samples will be sent to WII so that DNA testing can be done to find out the age, sex and number of elephants dead.

A massive animal like an elephant weighing 3-4 tons is not easy to dispose off. So this suggests the complicity of the forest department officials.

However, sceptics also say that the move to send the remains to WII is to kind of wash off its hands. As the Forest department now can hide under the plea that the enquiry is on. Public memory is short as they say. Incidentally a similar mass murder of elephants had happened in 2010 and no action has been taken till date.

Jumbos are in serious danger of being extirpated from Similipal. The Odisha elphants have good physical characteristics including bigger tusks. Unfortunately, poachers/mankind is winning its war against the elephants.

Sabyasachi

The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) would now step in to investigate the recent mass poaching of elephants in Simlipal Tiger Reserve in Odisha.

Unfortunate. However looking at the state of the forest departments and the kind of salaries and benefits the forest officers esp the beat officers get, this is not surprising. Forces like the police and army have so many facilities compared to these guys. The forest beat staff do not arms, equipment, get paid peanuts, no training, etc...the problem is systemic. Till there is political will to put the forest forces at par with the rest of the paramilitary forces, this is bound to happen. How do we lobby for that...any ides Sabyasachi?