Day 5 - Jungle Elephant!
- Joanne Short
- 23 hours ago
- 3 min read
Today we visited a third part of the Pench Tiger Reserve. This time we entered the park through the Silari Gate. This particular conservation area has the highest level of protection and the Tiger reserve is within this big National conservation area.
The landscape in this particular part of the reserve is much more varied. There are higher rocky areas and areas with small lakes and ponds. These watery places attract a huge variety of birdlife and the water attracts the animals to come and drink. At times they can be busy places - just like a cafe on a hot day! Or maybe a bar in the evening as that is when animals tend to wander down to the water to drink. We watched a deer standing in the water up to her middle browsing the algae and aquatic plants.
There is a very large lake, or backwater, which has been created by the construction of a dam. The dam has been put up to create electricity and water supply for the people in the district. This lake is enormous and attracts a huge number of birdlife.
It is common to come across working elephants in India and other eastern countries who have native elephants. Sadly there is also a problem of people capturing elephants and misusing them in some of the countries around the world who have native elephants
Elephants are native to India and are present in other conservation areas around the country. Because of the wildlife corridors which have been introduced so that wildlife can start to travel freely between one conservation area and another back to their ancestral homes, Elephants have started to make their way back to where they belong by following these corridors too. Wildlife corridors are wide areas that have been cleared from farmland to link the conservation areas across the country so that they are joined back up. This means that animals are no longer trapped in one area and can move about more freely. However, elephants are quite a problem because they are very destructive and quite dangerous. They push down a lot of trees to eat the foliage and they stamp across peoples land and Gardens and feast from farm produce. It is very difficult to contain an elephant in one area in the corridor because they are so big and strong.
Here in the Pench Tiger Reserve there are two elephants. They are tamed animals who are looked after really well and kept safe but at the same time they are working animals. In the case of the forest here, they are used for wardens to be able to get deep into the middle of the forest where no vehicles have access when there is another animal in distress and may need help, and to patrol these areas for poachers. For this reason, in this particular case, the use of these majestic animals may not be a negative but a direct positive. What do you think? It is actually a very controversial subject which is difficult to decide on.
These two elephants have a permanent keeper who bonds completely with them - the elephant and the keeper become inseparable. The keeper stays with them and lives with them 24 hours a day and they become soulmates. This particular person will live with them probably until the end of his lifespan or that of the elephant. He keeps them safe and makes sure they have enough food.
Do keep following and spread the word as we have lots of content ready to show you but can’t fit it all in here today as it is already 11pm in India!