Bandhavgarh elephant deaths: Wildlife officials await autopsy reports of 10 elephants; activist demands CBI probe

Chief Minister Mohan Yadav also held an emergency meeting with the top officials and directed a high-level team to visit the Tiger Reserve to get insights into the case

Post-mortem examinations and various other tests on all 10 elephants that have died since Tuesday (October 29, 2024) in Madhya Pradesh’s Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve have been conducted and the wildlife officials now eagerly await the results to ascertain the exact cause of death, officials said on Friday (November 1, 2024). 

Post-mortem on nine elephants was performed on Thursday (October 31, 2024) while one examination was conducted on Friday (November 1, 2024). 

Post-mortem, viscera test done

A senior wildlife official told The Hindu that apart from the post-mortem, viscera and three other tests have been conducted to get insights into the deaths. 

Chief Minister Mohan Yadav also held an emergency meeting with the top officials and directed a high-level team to visit the Tiger Reserve to get insights into the case.

Mr. Yadav has asked Minister of State for Forest Dilip Ahirwar, PCCF and head of State Forest Force Aseem Shrivastava, and Additional Chief Secretary Ashok Varnawal to visit the forest and submit a report in 24 hours, an official at the Chief Minister’s Office told The Hindu.

The official said that the CM was informed in the meeting that forensic and other test reports regarding the elephant deaths will take four days and that investigation on other aspects will continue till then.

Four elephants of a herd of 13 were found dead on Tuesday by the patrolling staff of the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, while the five tuskers who were found in critical conditions also succumbed in the next two days. Apart from this, the wildlife officials recovered one more dead elephant while searching the area on Thursday. The elephants were found at BTR’s Salakhaniya Beat of Khitauli and Pataur core ranges. All the 10 elephants who have died were females. 

The sudden deaths of tuskers prompted authorities to launch a probe by different teams but the officials have so far suspected that the animals died due to toxicity after consuming kodo millet. 

Eating of kodo millet

“Samples [after post-mortem] are collected and shall be sent to School Of Wildlife Forensic and Health, Jabalpur’s forensic lab for analysis. Veterinary doctors also indicated the reason for death is related to chances of mycotoxins associated with kodo millet. The [Forest] Department’s wildlife veterinarians are in regular touch and also consulting with experts of the Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly; the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun; the State Forensic Science Laboratory, Sagar; and the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad to get in-depth details about the said mycotoxins,” Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), L. Krishnamoorthy said on Thursday night. 

Meanwhile, wildlife activist Ajay Dubey has raised suspicion on the deaths and the official claims, and has demanded that a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) be launched into the matter. 

Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Dubey said that foul play cannot be ruled out and that he is planning on approaching the Madhya Pradesh High Court with his demand. 

“There is no scientific study available to justify their claim that the elephants died after eating kodo millet. Tribals and locals living in the forest area have been growing it for a long time and this has never happened,” he said.

Mr. Dubey also claimed that the wildlife officials did not act in time after the four dead elephants were found. 

“They did not have qualified veterinarians to treat the ill elephants. Some vets from the nearby areas were contacted but they refused to intervene,” he said.

The activist also claimed that the officials had destroyed about 10 acres of kodo millet crop in the surrounding area. “Is this not destruction of evidence if the elephants died due to eating the millet?” he asked.

Regarding the CM’s intervention, Mr. Dubey said, “After returning from his Diwali holidays, the CM is showing concern after 100 hours of the first deaths. And even now he is forming probe panels after probe panels.”

Published - November 01, 2024 11:09 pm IST