The herd of elephants that had strayed into the Mathabhanga sub-division of Cooch Behar district on Tuesday safely returned to the Khayerbari forest of the Jaldapara wildlife division in neighbouring Alipurduar district on Wednesday morning, following a successful overnight operation by foresters and police.
Continuous monitoring and coordinated efforts ensured that the operation was smooth without any untoward incident. Around 6am on Wednesday, the herd reached the Khayerbari forest.
The herd comprised 17 elephants, with five calves, five sub-adults and seven adults.
Parveen Kaswan, the divisional forest officer of Jaldapara wildlife division, praised "teamwork" for the successful operation. “We ensured the safe return of the elephant herd to their natural habitat. There were no injuries or loss of life. The elephants were guided back to the forest after travelling nearly 20 kilometres,” he said.
According to forest officials, heavy fog and poor visibility led elephants to stray from the Dalgaon forest towards the Khayerbari forest and entered Balasundar village of Mathabhanga block on Tuesday morning.
Fog posed a challenge for foresters and cops as well, but they tracked the herd throughout the night by following jumbo footprints.
After crossing two major highways and a stretch of railway tracks, the herd took shelter along a bank of the Dudua river.
Around 10 forest teams cordoned off the area to ensure the safety of the exhausted animals. Public announcements were made to keep people away, as the presence of small calves made the herd wary and slow-moving, increasing the risk of aggressive behaviour.
Railway authorities were alerted multiple times during the operation, and train speeds were restricted in the section concerned to prevent any mishap.
“It is a relief that the herd is back in the forest. Our staff are monitoring their movements so that they do not move out of the forest again,” said a forester.