Wildlife activist urges urgent action on 10 deaths of Bandhavgarh elephant

BHOPAL: Wildlife activist Ajay Dubey wrote a letter to the Chief Wildlife Warden of Madhya Pradesh, urging urgent action following the mysterious deaths of 10 elephants in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve.

In his letter, Dubey raised several serious concerns, calling for immediate steps to protect wild animals and improve conservation efforts in the state.

Dubey claimed that reliable sources informed him that the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (HoFF), Aseem Shrivastava, failed to provide the Chief Minister Mohan Yadav with accurate information about the suspension of Gaurav Chaudhary, the field director of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve.

According to Dubey, the PCCF did not issue formal leave permission to Chaudhary, and there was significant negligence by senior officers in dealing with this sensitive matter.

In his letter, Dubey also criticised the MP Tiger Foundation Society, which spent approximately Rs 45 lakh in 2023 to prepare a Wildlife Action Plan for the next 20 years.

However, Dubey pointed out that the plan did not include any provisions for the conservation of elephants. He further noted that the plan was prepared in English, despite Madhya Pradesh being a predominantly Hindi-speaking state, making it largely inaccessible to the thousands of frontline employees in the Forest Department.

Dubey alleged that the plan was developed by retired IFS officers, wasting public funds, and argued that the National Wildlife Plan by the govt of India remains the only viable public welfare plan for wildlife conservation.

Dubey also brought attention to the lack of cooperation from local veterinarians in the wake of the elephant deaths. According to him, the veterinarians from Umaria and Katni did not provide timely assistance to the Forest Department during the critical period.

Only one veterinarian, Khushboo Jain from Katni, stepped forward to assist with the treatment of the elephants. Dubey called for action against those who failed to cooperate, urging the Animal Directorate to hold them accountable and ensure better cooperation in future emergencies.

Dubey further said that the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) made several recommendations to the Madhya Pradesh govt on elephant conservation, but these were not implemented.

He called for immediate action on these recommendations, urging the govt to take swift steps to address the situation. The activist also proposed changes to personnel management within Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, suggesting that employees and officers who have been stationed there for more than three years should be relocated.

Dubey stressed the need for experienced wildlife management professionals to be posted at every tiger reserve, including Bandhavgarh, to ensure effective management and conservation.

In his letter, Dubey raised concerns about the impact of religious tourism and other events in the core area of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, particularly the Kabir Sammelan event scheduled for December.

Dubey argued that such events, which draw large crowds into the core areas of wildlife reserves, pose significant risks to the safety of wild animals and the integrity of the reserve.

He called for a ban on such activities in the core areas of the tiger reserve to protect wildlife from human interference.