Elephants in the Crossfire: MP's Plan for Peace with Pachyderms

Madhya Pradesh's Chief Minister plans to address challenges posed by elephant herds from Chhattisgarh. After 10 elephant deaths and incidents with humans, coordination between states' forest departments is essential. An elephant task force, radio tracking, and solar fencing are proposed for effective management and conflict avoidance.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav announced on Monday that he plans to speak with his Chhattisgarh counterpart about challenges stemming from elephant herds crossing into MP from the neighboring state.

Yadav, scheduled to visit Chhattisgarh later today, emphasized the need for coordination between the two states' forest departments on various issues.

Recently, 10 elephants died at the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in MP. Following this, two senior reserve officials were suspended after a high-level probe into the deaths and an incident where an elephant killed three people in Umaria.

Yadav highlighted that these incidents usually occur due to herds migrating from Chhattisgarh, and he plans to address this with Chhattisgarh's chief minister.

Proposed solutions include establishing an elephant task force and implementing radio tracking and a long-term plan with wildlife experts to prevent future deaths and attacks.

MP's favorable environment attracts elephants from other states, necessitating a sustainable management plan. The state plans to adopt best practices from Karnataka, Kerala, and Assam and will send officers there for insights.

To prevent man-animal conflict, solar fencing around agricultural farms will be installed to protect crops from elephant destruction, according to the chief minister.

(With inputs from agencies.)