Bandhavgarh Workshop: Elephant Surge From Chhattisgarh, Sparks Man-Animal Conflict In MP

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The increasing movement of elephants from Chhattisgarh into Madhya Pradesh’s wildlife corridors is leading to a sharp rise in man-animal conflict, wildlife experts warned at a recent conservation workshop.

They called for immediate, coordinated measures to address the growing tension between expanding elephant ranges and human settlements.

The concern was voiced by Saurav Singh, an officer from the Guru GhasidasTamor Pingla Tiger Reserve in Chhattisgarh, during the concluding session of the Corridor Conservation Planning Workshop held on Friday in the Tala range of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve.

He said that shifting elephant populations are increasingly entering corridors that connect with Madhya Pradesh, which is escalating conflict in villages along these routes.

Skeletal Remains, A Pair Of Sandals Led To Murderers In Bhopal

“There is a clear increase in elephant movement from Chhattisgarh into these corridors. This is leading to more encounters with humans, and we must act to minimise conflict while ensuring elephant protection,” Singh said.

The workshop was jointly organised by the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department and NGO Wildlife Corridor, with the aim of identifying challenges in conserving crucial wildlife corridors between Sanjay Tiger Reserve, Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, and Guru GhasidasTamor Pingla Tiger Reserve in Chhattisgarh.

Addressing the gathering, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Subhranjan Sen stressed the importance of inter-departmental coordination to manage the issue effectively. He said wildlife conservation can only succeed if all departments work together to tackle both ecological and administrative challenges.

Echoing this view, Additional PCCF (Wildlife) L Krishnamurthi said that conservation efforts must be balanced with ongoing development. “We need to work out strategies that allow both wildlife protection and infrastructure development to go hand in hand,” he said.

Highlighting the vital role of wildlife corridors, Prakash Verma, Deputy Director of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, said, “These corridors are essential pathways that support the movement and survival of wildlife. Without them, the idea of wildlife protection is incomplete.”

Elephants destroy over 1 dozen makeshift houses

The four wandering elephants are literally giving sleepless nights to forest officials and villagers in Shahdol district. They have damaged more than one dozen makeshift houses besides destroying crops in fields.

“ The elephants are in Budar range of Shahdol. During morning hours, they go inside the jungles to rest and come out at night and enter villages. The villagers have been advised not to move out in night for security reasons,” said Shradha Pandere, Shahdol District Forest Officer.

She said elephants were damaging makeshift houses situated on fields storing paddy and other cereals.