8 months ago
Madhya Pradesh Gains Resident Wild Elephants After Century
After more than 100 years, Madhya Pradesh now has wild elephants living there permanently.
Two groups of elephants came from Chhattisgarh about seven years ago.
One group of seven elephants settled in Sanjay Dubri Tiger Reserve in 2017, and another group of about 40 elephants settled in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in 2018.
These elephants found the forests in these reserves to be good places to live.
Before this, the last time elephants lived in Madhya Pradesh was in 1905.
The elephants had disappeared because of poaching and deforestation.
Now, Madhya Pradesh has about 97 wild elephants, and India has about 22,446 wild elephants.
Madhya Pradesh has regained resident wild elephants after over a century.
Two groups of elephants migrated from Chhattisgarh and settled in Bandhavgarh and Sanjay Dubri Tiger Reserves.
The elephants found suitable habitats in the reserves and decided to stay permanently.
Madhya Pradesh now has an estimated 97 wild elephants, with around 45-50 in Bandhavgarh alone.
The last confirmed resident elephant population in Madhya Pradesh was in 1905, which disappeared due to poaching and deforestation.
- Who
- Wild elephants from Chhattisgarh
- What
- Migration and settlement of wild elephants in Madhya Pradesh
- Where
- Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve and Sanjay Dubri Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh
- When
- Migration occurred in 2017 and 2018
- Why
- Due to suitable habitat conditions in the reserves
Key facts
- Elephant Population in MP
- 97
- Elephant Population in India
- 22,446
- Resident Elephants in Bandhavgarh
- 45-50
- Migration Year to SDTR
- 2017
- Migration Year to BTR
- 2018
- Last Confirmed Resident Elephants
- 1905
- Migration Source
- Chhattisgarh
- Migration Path
- Through Sidhi, Singrauli, Shahdol
Quotes
Senior forest officer
A senior official in the forest department of Madhya Pradesh.
“Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve is a good habitat for the wild elephants and hence, the reserve forest has been able to retain the migrated wild elephants and made them resident elephants.”
deccanchronicle.com
“The wild elephants stay back in a forest and become resident elephants when they find it a good habitat for them.”
deccanchronicle.com
