Expert panel appointed to inquire elephant poaching

The poaching of 12 elephants came to light in mid-April this year when Mayurbhanj wildlife activist Vanoo Mitra Acharya and honorary wildlife warden of Mayurbhanj Sanjukta Basa were informed about the incidents through their informers during the elephant census. A local forest staff reported the death of only one elephant in April. But subsequent visits and investigations by Basa and Acharya found that 6 more have been killed. The activist duo have information that 5 more have been killed.

An attempt by independent persons to enter the Park to verify the reports was frustrated by the Range Officer of Pithabata Range. He refused entry to Basa when she wanted to visit the core area on April 30 though she had an official order issued by a senior officer. The fact finding team found remains of burnt bones of one elephants at Dudhurchampa. Similarly,remains of two carcasses including bones were found buried at Mondama hills under Kandadhanu section. Another burnt elephant carcass was discovered at Jodapal Chhak.

“During our field investigation inside the tiger reserve,we found bones and other evidences of the killed elephants. The carcasses were stinking. There were definite ettempts to hide the bones as we found the same concealed under huge rocks. We photographed and videographed the carcasses and the bones. We have definite information that 5 more elephants have been killed in the last 2 months,but we could not verify those as the forest authorities have not permitted further visits by the independent fact-finding team lead by the Honorary Wildlife Warden,” said Acharya. The fact finding team also found remains of two carcasses including bones were found buried at Mondama hills under Kandadhanu section. Another burnt elephant carcass was discovered at Jodapal Chhak.

Officials at the Similipal Tiger Reserve admitted the elephant deaths,but its director HS Upadhyay and regional chief conservator of forests Ajit Bhartuar refused to confirm whether the elephants have been killed by poachers. A team from the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau has also visited the reserve to inquire into the poaching cases.

In the past,Simlipal suffered from a determined onslaught by poachers when Lishu tribals from Arunachal Pradesh killed at least 5 elephants in 2007 and smuggled out their tusks without being cut. Though they stayed for two months in Baripada town,the department did not have any clue about their poaching activities. Simlipal has been recently classified by the NTCA as a Tiger Reserve in a poor condition with low density of tigers. The camera trapping census of tiger carried by WII,Dehradun put the tiger numbers at a measly 20. Elephants are also gradually disappearing from this Park. The number of tuskers are declining fast.

Eminent elephant conservationist Ashok Kumar of Wildlife Trust of India said the incident had eerie similarities with that of tiger disappearance from Sariska tiger reserve. “In Sariska everyone was in denial mode till the last tiger died. I hope elephants in Similipal do not go the tigers way in Sariska. An independent agency not involving the forest department should now probe the killings,” he said.