BHUBANESWAR: An elephant herd from neighbouring West Bengal, which had kept Orissa forest officials on tenterhooks last year, is now back in the State. Only this time, the herd is believed to have grown in size. Currently, nestled in Mayurbhanj’s Betanati, the herd of 100 elephants is expected to make its move towards neighbouring Balasore district, where it had created havoc last year.Anticipating a replay, the wildlife officials are already putting in place crisis management plans to ensure that the damage is minimised.The herd of 70 elephants had travelled over 100 km to reach Nilagiri forests under Balasore division where their stay was nothing less than eventful. Over 140 houses were damaged during their stay while crop loss led to outrage. The Balasore Forest Division though moved swiftly to handle the situation and quell any discontentment which could have led to a conflict.According to official records, the pachyderm herd’s winter journey cost the forest division at least `7 lakh in terms of compensation though that was not all. An amount of `30.5 lakh was released from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund for the post-damage restoration. Such was the terror created by the herd that forest officials had to open free kitchen for the locals.“We disbursed all the compensation for house and crop damage to villagers within a week which was the reason the situation was handled well. That there was no human casualty caused by the elephants went in our favour,” Balasore DFO Kedar Swain acknowledges. In Odisha, elephant depredation accounts for 70 per cent of wild animal depredation incidence. If that was not enough, the migration only added to the misery. The huge herd actually emerges from Dalma forests of Jharkhand and moves to Odisha through West Bengal. Its destination, incidentally, has been Nilagiri forests of Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary. On its way, the herd attracts attention of the locals which has been a problem. “Handling 70 elephants is a huge task but managing 3,000 onlookers, who can turn volatile, is a tough ask,” said a range officer. According to sources in Mayurbhanj district, the forest officials and locals tried to drive away the herd late last week but in vain. A forest official of Rasgovindpur Range was injured in the process and has been hospitalised. “We are keeping a close watch on the situation. Our effort will be to ensure minimal damage to life and property as the herd moves ahead,” a senior official of Baripada Circle said.
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