With the paddy crop already harvested, the tuskers are unable to find bulk food in agricultural fields. Consequently, they search for paddy and mahua in kutcha houses after sunset, damaging those where they find suitable food.“Rescuing them isn’t a viable solution, as they are bound to return to Chhattisgarh in time. Currently, they are in forests around 15–20 km from the adjoining state. We are closely monitoring their movements and educating villagers on how to avoid human-elephant conflicts,” said Vipin Patel, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Anuppur.In Shahdol district, while a 19-member herd is thriving in the dense forests near the backwaters of the Bansagar Dam, a lone male elephant roaming between the Shahdol East and Godaval forest ranges is causing concern for residents of Bedra and Kothir villages.“The elephant frequently visits this part of Shahdol district, and this is likely its fourth visit in a year. It stays in the forests between the two villages during the day and ventures out in the evenings, searching for food in the villages, which house around 1,500–2,000 people. With no paddy crops in the fields, it often damages kutcha houses while foraging,” said Shahdol East Forest Ranger Sandeep Gautam.“Our three patrolling teams are continuously tracking the elephant, and fortunately, no human casualties, injuries, or conflicts have been reported so far,” he added.“Since most houses in these villages are kutcha houses, we have requested the local MLA to sanction pucca houses under the PM Housing Scheme to prevent long-term damage by elephants that frequently travel through this area,” Gautam stated.
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