Elephant attacks expose Telangana forest department’s poor preparedness

The State forest department did not anticipate the possibilities of elephants crossing the Pranahita river and entering the Telangana region.

Hyderabad: The Telangana forest department’s lack of foresight and poor preparedness resulted in loss of two lives. The herd of nearly 70 to 75 elephants has been moving along the River Pranahita since last few weeks on the Maharashtra end.

However, the State forest department did not anticipate the possibilities of elephants crossing the river and entering the Telangana region.

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This apart, the field staff in Kumram Bheem Asifabad is not equipped with night vision cameras, night drone and other equipment that could help them track the movement of wild animals more effectively.

There have been reports that the elephant had attacked a few people in Chattisghar in the past. Though, it is not confirmed whether it is the same elephant but it entered Gadchiroli forests in Maharashtra and crossed the River Pranahita to enter River Pranahita.

After the Wednesday and Thursday attacks, the forest department deployed a drone team, including night vision camera to track the elephant’s movement. This apart, a Hulla party (professionals used to chase away elephant by using traditional methods of carrying flaming torch and beating drums) is also being deployed from Maharashtra.

The six-member team was expected to arrive on Thursday night or early Friday. It would soon swing into action, said a senior official.

Further, the elephant is travelling back towards Maharashtra and 15 teams were tracking its movement. Elephants prefer to walk in the nights and they can easily cover 15 to 20 kms a night. At this rate, there was every possibility of the elephant to cross the River Pranahita by Friday night or Saturday, provided it was not disturbed by local villagers, the official said.