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Attachment Attachment Attachment Attachment Attachment Attachment Pilibhit: A herd of six wild elephants from Nepal, including a large tusker, has been moving through Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (PTR) and nearby villages for nearly a fortnight, raising concerns among forest officials ahead of the ecotourism and safari season beginning Nov 1. PTR is part of the 3,072.35 sq km Terai Elephant Reserve, which also includes Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary in Bahraich district and Dudhwa National Park and its buffer in Kheri district. During the previous ecotourism season, 56,567 Indian tourists visited Chuka, while 216 foreign tourists visited PTR for stays and safaris.
The range also has a safari entry point that was introduced last year. Stay updated with the latest Bareilly news.
Officials said the elephants have stayed in PTR beyond the period when they usually begin returning to Nepal. PTR DFO Manish Singh said guidance had been sought from senior forest officials on managing the situation before safaris begin. Range officer Sahendra Singh Yadav said, “The herd has recently divided into two groups of three jumbos each. Officials said the elephants had damaged crops near Barahi three days ago. “We have planned to constantly monitor the movement of these jumbos to avert any untoward situation during safaris,” Yadav said. DFO said PTR has large stretches of dense canopy compared with the more open terrain of Dudhwa and Katarniaghat. “We shall first wait for the safe retreat of the guest jumbos within a week, but will enforce safety measures for tourists as directed by senior forest officials,” he added. Singh said the reserve administration was awaiting guidance on measures to be taken if the tiger continued to remain in the area.
The herd has damaged chain-link fencing at several spots inside the reserve, including near Mahof Gate, one of the safari entry points. Wild elephants generally enter PTR during the post-monsoon season from Nepal’s Shuklaphanta National Park, which is contiguous with the reserve. They use the Shuklaphanta-Lagga Bagga-Kishanpur corridor and usually return towards Nepal by mid-Oct. One is moving in the Barahi forest range while the other has reached the Mahof forest range. Unlike the other two areas, PTR does not have a resident population of wild elephants and mainly sees seasonal movement from Nepal. Forest officials are also keeping watch on an adult tiger moving around Chuka, where tourists stay during the ecotourism season. Download the TOI App.
