Daltonganj: A patch of the State Highway 9 in the Palamu Tiger Reserve witnessed panic among the commuters after a herd of elephants gathered at Dwar Seni Ghatee daily for the past seven days.
The herd, comprising six elephants, two tuskers, and remaining Makhna elephants female and tuskless jumbos were seen standing in the middle of the highway at the ghatee under the Bareysanr range of the south division of the tiger reserve.
The Quick Response Team (QRT) of the Palamu Tiger Reserve had a tough time shooing away the elephants.
Paramjeet Tiwary, QRT leader, said, We are afraid the elephants might attack the pedestrians, bikers or other commuters, which may lead to accidents in the area.
On Tuesday, the elephants remained stationed at the Dwar Seni Ghatee from 3pm to 8pm.
The 5-hour haul caused a mix-up in the traffic.
Irritated, the commuters and the QRT exploded crackers to drive the tuskers away.
Soon after this, the herd fled, only to return to the same spot within an hour.On being asked what is so special about the ghatee, Tiwary said, "The place has an enormous feed for the elephants.
They know their retreat, and hence it is safe to them.
Kumar Ashish, deputy director, south division of the tiger reserve, said that people need to be more vigilant and patient in the elephant zone.
Elephants may appear suddenly, and there is no need to panic.
Do not compete with any wildlife animals," he said, adding that humans cannot outwit elephants as they are the most intelligent animals in the wildlife.
They understand your every move.
We tell people not to hazard any risk in attempting to have a selfie with an elephant, even if the animal is far away, said Ashish.We also published the following articles recentlyHuman-elephant conflict on rise in Chhattisgarh; tribal man, two elephant dieA villager was trampled to death in an elephant attack during a local festival in Raigarh district of Chhattisgarh.
The carcass of an elephant calf and another pachyderm were found in Achanakmar Tiger Reserve.
Preliminary probe indicated that the elephant was electrocuted to death, highlighting the rising human-elephant conflict.
Forest department officials are concerned about the villagers' approach during the karthik festival.
Additionally, a case has been lodged against local electricity department officials for the death of a tusker due to a hanging 11 KV live wire.Chhattisgarh: Elephants on rage, crush livestock to deathNorthern parts of Chhattisgarh are facing an elephant threat as wild elephants from neighboring districts have migrated to Korba district, resulting in the killing of livestock.
In Manendragarh, villagers had to take refuge on a high-tension tower when a herd of elephants entered the region.
The elephants attacked and killed cattle tied outside the villagers' houses.
The forest department has been criticized for not monitoring the movement of elephants and alerting the locals.
Compensation has been provided to the villagers who lost their cattle, and the forest department has issued an alert to the villages to avoid venturing out in the dark or in the forest.Wild elephant kills TN tea factory workerA TANTEA factory worker, J Francis, was killed in the Nilgiris district after being attacked by a wild elephant.
The incident occurred when Francis was walking to the staff quarters of the TANTEA factory in Palmedu area.
He sustained injuries to his chest and head and was taken to two hospitals but succumbed to his injuries.
The forest department provided a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to Francis' family.
Authorities have advised tea estate and factory workers to avoid leaving their residential areas after 6pm to prevent conflicts with wild animals.