Gondia, Aug 22 (PTI) In view of the frequent movement of elephants in parts of Gondia and Gadchiroli districts in Maharashtra, a preliminary proposal on the feasibility of a reserve for jumbos has been submitted to the office of the Chief Wildlife Warden, a forest officer said on Tuesday.
The proposal for the feasibility of the first elephant reserve in the Gondia-Gadchiroli region in east Maharashtra was prepared by Jayarame Gowda R, field director of NNTR (Navegaon Nagzira Tiger Reserve) and the conservator of forest, and forwarded to the office of Chief Wildlife Warden seeking views.
Gowda confirmed to PTI that his office has sent a preliminary proposal mentioning the advantages and disadvantages of such a reserve.
“After the office of Chief Wildlife Warden gives its nod to the proposal, it will be sent to the State Board of Wildlife and later to the Government of India,” he said.
A herd of 23 wild elephants entered Gadchiroli from Odisha via Chhattisgarh last August.
As the movement of elephants are more frequent on the borders of Gondia and Gadchiroli in east Maharashtra and considering related factors, an elephant reserve would help the forest department in handling the development in better ways, according to Gowda.
“Once the elephant reserve gets the nod and comes into existence, we will have financial support which will help us in habitat management and properly undertaking conflict mitigation measures. We don’t have much elephant population in Maharashtra and the elephant reserve here would be of great help.
“We are awaiting the approval of the chief wildlife warden. Once it comes, we will decide about the delimitation of areas between Gondia and Gadchiroli and Chhattisgarh borders”, Gowda added.
The approximate proposed area for the elephant reserve is more than 4,000 sq km.
Notably, the Maharashtra government in June 2020 notified almost 3,000 hectares of forest land as a reserve for elephants who had wandered into Sindhudurg district from neighbouring Karnataka almost two decades ago, the first such instance wherein a forest has been reserved for elephants in the state. PTI COR NSK
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