MIAO, 27 Jan: An adult bull elephant was camera-trapped in the Namdapha National Park & Tiger Reserve (NP&TR) on 13 January, after a gap of 12 years.
The sighting has brought renewed focus to the park authority’s efforts to protect wild elephants in the region.
While elephants occasionally traverse through the park during monsoon months using the same migratory routes, challenging weather conditions often limit forest officials’ access, making the installation of camera traps difficult during those months. Despite the obstacles, a team led by Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF) and Field Director of NP&TR VK Jawal and RFO of the Namdapha Wildlife Range and Research Wing successfully captured the rare image.
“This sighting is of great importance as it offers critical insights into the presence and movement patterns of elephants in the park and also underscores the need for continued patrols in vulnerable core boundary areas, particularly Kathan region in the north-western part of Namdapha Tiger Reserve,” the CCF said in a release.
Historically, the elephant corridor stretched from Namsai to Myanmar, via the NP&TR, traversing areas like Boga Pahad, Bulbulia, Firmbase and Embeyong. But encroachment on the Embeyong area in 1996, particularly near the 38th and the 52nd miles, has disrupted the migration corridors. As a result, elephants have remained largely in the northern parts of Namdapha, sometimes venturing into fringe areas such as Kathan in the northwest, as well as Khachang and Songking villages in Miao circle, often causing human-wildlife conflict and economic losses to the local villagers, he said.
The sighting underscores the importance of reopening the traditional elephant corridors to ensure their safe passage, while reducing man-animal conflicts.
The park authority sought cooperation of the local communities in reopening the traditional corridors of wild elephants to secure the future of the jumbos and other species in the region.
