Blamed for killing 3, lone tusker rescued after bonding with trained elephant

Bhopal: A lone wild elephant, identified by forest officials as E-5 and blamed for killing three people, attacking cattle and a stray dog in Madhya Pradesh’s Shahdol-Anuppur forest belt, has been rescued and relocated after officials concluded the animal was stressed and disoriented following separation from its herd.

Forest officials said the tusker was not rogue by nature but appeared to be in distress after its herd moved back to Chhattisgarh, leaving it alone in the Anuppur and South Shahdol forest divisions.

In a rare development during the high-risk rescue operation, E-5 developed a calm association with Rama, a trained camp elephant from Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, and the behaviour helped teams safely capture and shift the animal.

Officials said the wild elephant voluntarily approached Rama twice and interacted peacefully with the camp elephant, giving the first clear indication that it was seeking social contact rather than confrontation. The observation helped wildlife experts reassess the animal’s condition and change the rescue strategy.

The elephant had caused panic in villages after fatal encounters, livestock attacks and damage to houses. But when mahouts brought trained elephants into the operation on May 20, officials noticed an immediate behavioural shift. E-5, which had earlier appeared stressed and unpredictable, remained calm in Rama’s presence, reinforcing the view that it was roaming in distress after losing contact with its herd.

The operation was carried out under the guidance of Chief Wildlife Warden Dr Samita Rajoura and Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) L Krishnamurthy. Joint teams from Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, South Shahdol, North Shahdol and Anuppur forest divisions took part in the exercise led by Dr Anupam Sahay, Field Director of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, and Mahendra Pratap Singh, Chief Conservator of Forests, Shahdol.

Wildlife veterinarians, mahouts, drone teams and forest staff were involved in round-the-clock tracking and village alerts.

The first tranquilisation attempt on May 22 failed after E-5 resisted loading and damaged the transport crate and GPS collar. Officials revised the plan overnight and successfully radio-collared and shifted the elephant to the Bandhavgarh range the next day, where it has been placed near another herd for monitoring and rehabilitation.

For forest staff, the operation ended with the capture of a conflict elephant and hopes that a lonely tusker, separated from its herd, may get a second chance.