Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve: Following the tracking of tigers and cheetahs, a new plan to fit elephants with satellite collars has been approved in Madhya Pradesh. The Karnataka Wildlife Headquarters has given the go-ahead for this initiative, which will help monitor elephant movements. The APCCF of the Forest Department, L. Krishnamurthy, shared that since elephants travel in herds, a collar will be fitted to one elephant in the group, allowing the whole herd’s location to be tracked.
Monitoring of these elephants will be conducted by Divisional Forest Officers (DFOs) in corridor areas, as well as the control command center at the Wildlife Headquarters. With satellite collaring, elephants wandering toward villages can be guided back to the forest to prevent conflicts with local communities.
Approximately 160 elephants reside in Madhya Pradesh, including 70 in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve and 25 in Sanjay Dubri National Park. Under this project, two teams of officials will visit Mysore and Coimbatore to learn best practices for elephant management. In addition to tracking, the Forest Department aims to raise awareness among residents near forest areas to promote peaceful co-existence.
The plan comes in the wake of 10 mysterious elephant deaths at Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, which raised serious concerns about wildlife safety in the state. The Madhya Pradesh government has now intensified efforts to ensure the protection of elephants and other wildlife.
