Jabalpur forest dept faces heat after jumbo found dead

After the carcass of a jumbo was found in Mangeli, the consumer forum has sent a legal notice to the state forest department. The Forest officer said efforts are underway to trace the other elephant.

Jabalpur: The consumer forum has sent a legal notice to the forest department of Madhya Pradesh in connection with the death of an elephant in Jabalpur district.

According to the information, one of the two elephants was moving about in the area, was found dead near Mohas area in Bargi range, few kilometers away from Jabalpur. The forest officials said that the elephant had walked into an electric trap set by the villagers for killing wild boars, adding that efforts are on to trace the other elephant.

In the legal notice sent to the forest department, the forum has stated that forest officials should pay for the death of the jumbos and must also ensure security arrangements for 40 wild elephants near Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve.

The matter will be taken to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) if the forest officers fail to reply within 48 hours, the notice read.

The forum stated that when the death of pachyderms surfaced in Kerala and Assam, then NGT had pronounced penalty and security for the animals but it is not followed in Madhya Pradesh.

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The two elephants had come over from Odisha around two years ago and used to roam through villages in Balaghat, Mandla, Umaria districts.

However, the elephant Jodi had killed two villagers and left one injured, instilling fear among the people. The villagers claimed that these jumbos troubled them by destroying their crops and houses.

After the carcass of one of the jumbos was found in Jabalpur's Mangeli area, foresters have expedited the process to locate the other elephant.

The forest officers have appealed to the villagers for their co-operation and are also using drones to trace the missing jumbo.

Forest range officer Swati Yadav said, "We are making all possible efforts to locate the other elephant. The areas in and around the jungle are being searched extensively."

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