Four Elephants Die at Bandhavgarh, Five others Critical

Bhopal

In a mammoth failure for wildlife authorities in Madhya Pradesh, four wild elephants have been left dead, and five others are grievously ill after consuming—or having been fed—a poisonous substance at the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve.

The remains of the four dead elephants were discovered by patrol staff in RF 384 and PF 183 A of the Salakhaniya Beat of the Khitauli and Pataur ranges of the sanctuary on Tuesday afternoon, said forest officials while confirming the incident.

The four pachyderms, including three females and a male, were part of a group of 13. Five other elephants from the same group were found ill in a combing operation held by forest staff to account for the remaining group members.

Medical teams comprising wildlife veterinarians from Bandhavgarh, Sanjay Tiger Reserve, and the School of Wildlife Forensic and Health (SWFH) in Jabalpur are monitoring the health of the critically ill elephants.

The Tiger Strike Force (STSF) teams from Jabalpur and Bhopal have rushed to participate in investigations.

Expert opinion is being sought from medical professionals at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) in Dehradun. Currently, the prime focus is on the treatment of the unwell elephants and reviving them from danger, said a top wildlife officer in brief issued to the media.

The actual cause of dath will be ascertained after a post-mortem and thorough investigation of the area.

Reports emerging from the area suggest that the deaths were caused by the spraying of pesticides by farmers on their crops, which were grazed by the wild animals.

It is not uncommon for park authorities and wildlife administrators to attempt to withhold information from the press and even destroy evidence to save their own skin.

As recently as August 2024, a Range Officer and two Forest Guards at the sanctuary were suspended after they were found guilty of burning the carcass of an elephant in a bid to conceal evidence of the animal’s death.