BHUBANESWAR: Taking on a 70-member elephant herd is no mean task. Tackling such a huge herd with a boisterous crowd stalking their every move is worse. That’s precisely what forest officials are doing in Balasore.In what could be termed the biggest drive against the jumbos in the State, the Balasore Forest Division officials are trying to put the pack of 70 back on the return route. For the last fortnight, the jumbo herd has been nestled in Nilagiri forests and are on a rampage on the crops of the locals. Sensing that the pachyderms may extend their stay which could trigger problems with the locals, the forest officials have begun a drive away to Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary in Jharkhand. A team of 150 people, including officials of forest and police departments as well as local volunteers, has been pressed into the job.“We realised that an intervention is required lest they may stay back which will cause more problems. We started the drive a couple of days back and are planning to intensify it,” Divisional Forest Officer Kedar Swain said. Although the team has been able to attract the attention of the pack, it is the younger members of the herd which have slowed down the process. The 70-member herd has a few calves but, more importantly, includes a baby. The baby was born on November 28. Since the herd is unlikely to abandon the new-born and any big attempt could cause strong reactions, Swain said, the trackers have kept a close watch on the baby elephant which they say is now up and moving with the pack. “Once they decide to move, the elephants will take just one night to withdraw from the forests and head home. We are waiting for that opportunity,” he added. Driving the elephants apart, controlling the crowd has been a major headache for the team too. The forest division has been trying to involve locals in the intervention to prevent any untoward incident.
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