Three elephant calves died in 17 days in Chhattisgarh’s Dharamjaigarh forest division, prompting the forest department to call in a team of experts from Dehradun (Uttarakhand), Bareilly (Uttar Pradesh) and Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh) to investigate the causes of the deaths and train local staff.
A calf died on Sunday after it became trapped in a swampy area within the Baraka area under the Burida-Amjar forest range despite rescue efforts. The elephant’s mother reportedly remained near the trapped calf for hours and tried to free it by uprooting nearby trees.
Officials said the three deaths raised new concerns about shrinking forest cover, increasing human-animal conflict, and the condition of water bodies within elephant habitats.
“The team comprising wildlife experts and veterinarians will examine the causes of death, study forest conditions, and train local staff on post-mortem procedures, sample collection and wildlife response,” said Kishore Kumar Upadhyay, divisional forest officer. He added that the exact cause of the deaths is being examined, and no conclusion has been reached yet.
Eight elephant calves have died in the forest department in the past five months due to drowning, stranding in swamps and other unexplained circumstances, officials said. They are studying whether food and water scarcity is forcing elephant herds to move toward villages and ponds located near human settlements.
One elephant died after falling into a well in January. Multiple calf deaths were reported between March and May. The expert team is expected to spend time inside the forest areas to assess habitat conditions and recommend preventive measures to reduce elephant mortality.
