Two killed in attacks by elephants in Madhya Pradesh near BTR

Bhopal, Nov 2 (IANS) A group of wild elephants went on a rampage, killing two persons and injuring another near the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (BTR) in Madhya Pradesh, officials said on Saturday.

The incident occurred days after BTR in Madhya Pradesh's Umaria district witnessed the death of 10 elephants.

The elephants that attacked the people are believed to be part of the same herd of which 10 jumbos died, the official added.

The first attack was reported in Devra village, around 10 km away from BTR, where Ramratan Yadav (50) was trampled to death early on Saturday.

The second incident happened at Brahe village in the buffer zone of BTR where 35-year-old Bhairav Kol was killed in an attack by elephants.

The injured person has been identified as Malu Sahu (32), a resident of Banka village, located just outside the BTR.

According to official sources, three surviving elephants from the herd were wandering in a radius of 15 km from the site where the 10 elephant deaths took place.

Following the death of 10 wild elephants in BTR, the forest department destroyed the standing Kodo millet crop in the surrounding area. Forest staff of BTR took this step after autopsy reports hinted the possible role of mycotoxins in that crop.

Investigating teams of forest staff had collected samples from the nearby agricultural lands, paddy fields, water bodies and from fields where the elephants consumed kodo millets, the Forest Department said on Thursday.

Four elephants died on Tuesday while another four on Wednesday, and two were reported dead early on Thursday.

Three other elephants were stated to be in normal condition, and their movements are being continuously monitored by multiple teams of veterinarians.

On Friday, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav asked minister of state for forests Dileep Ahirwar, additional chief secretary (forest) Ashok Barnwal and the state's head of forest force (HOFF) Aseem Shrivastava to visit Umaria district and submit a report on the death of elephants.

--IANS

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