Death of seven elephants since the last few weeks in the MM Hills Wildlife Sanctuary and Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary landscape has left conservationists and Forest Department personnel perplexed.
These deaths are unrelated but Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF) of Chamarajanagar Manoj Kumar said it was worrying because they have taken place in quick succession.
While two elephants were electrocuted in the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary, two others in MM Hills Wildlife Sanctuary are suspected to have fallen off the cliff as evident in the remains of the broken skulls and bones.
But in case of three elephants, there is no clue as to what led to their death and whether they were due to natural factors. One of the elephants was found dead in a gorge at Dodahalla while a female elephant in an advanced stage of pregnancy had died in GJ Goudanahalli, said Mr. Manoj Kumar. “We want to discuss the issue with experts and are collecting all possible evidences so as to ascertain the reason why elephants were dying in quick succession,” he said. If these are natural deaths, nothing can be done about it but in case managerial intervention can reduce the fatality rate then it will be worth giving a try, according to the official.
A section of conservationists have also faulted the Forest Department for the delay in discovery of the carcasses and said it reflected on poor patrolling in the area. As a result of the delayed discovery, even the cause of death cannot be ascertained, they said.
Mr. Manoj Kumar admitted that both Cauvery and MM Hills Wildlife Sanctuaries had not received much attention in the past and it was also out of bounds being the den and terrain of forest brigand Veerappan.
However, things changed in the last 15 years and patrolling has been stepped up in the forests, all of which has resulted in high detection rate of animal deaths, say the officials. Besides, the terrain is so inhospitable and inaccessible that patrolling is not easy in certain areas, according to DCF V. Yedukondalu.
