KOTHUR (Srikakulam): The main reason behind four female elephants roaming in the dense forests of Srikakluam and Vizianagaram border areas is to find a mate, says wildlife vet expert Dr Rudraditya.
Speaking to TOI, Rudraditya, who is staying in the dense forests of Pedda Dimili village of Kothur mandal in Srikakulam on Tuesday to participate in operation Chilli Aromatic Technique (CAT) that will drive away the pachyderms, said that November and December is the mating season for them. The four adolescent female elephants are discharging fluids from their genitals, ears and trunk to attract male elephant, said Dr Rudraditya. “As they are not able to find a male partner for mating, they are constantly roaming in the jungle. As it is impossible to bring a 400 to 450 tonne male tusker to this area, we are trying to guide the females to the route from where they have come,” Dr Rudraditya said.
The wildlife vet expert said that mining activities and degradation of forest cover in Odisha were the main reason behind the entry of elephants into Andhra Pradesh in 2007. North coastal Andhra, bordering Odisha, is known for its thick forest cover.
On Tuesday, Rudraditya participated in the night jungle safari along the route of the elephants which is nearly 2 to 3 kilometres from the Odisha border, across river Vamsadhara in the Kottur mandal. Kurupam forest range officer Murali Krishna and two other officers accompanied the vet specialist, who did several research and operations across the globe including in Africa, Thailand and Nepal.
Meanwhile, Vizianagaram district forest officer AV Ramana Murthy said that if operation CAT yields good results, the elephants can be moved to their original habitations in Odisha within a week. The department would surely take efforts to keep the elephants safe as well as the people and take up the drive without harming the flora and fauna, he said.