Jamshedpur: The Dalma range office in Mango is on a high alert as two separate herds of about 50 elephants, including calves, may slip into the 192sqkm sanctuary anytime.

The jumbos are stationed at Jhunjka and Patamda, which are located close to the sanctuary. Eighteen from the group were spotted near Nutandih in the periphery of the Dalma reserve.

Instructions have been issued to foresters, guards and trackers (village youths recruited as daily wagers to keep a tab on the movement of elephants and other animals) to keep a close watch on the herds who are ambling back home after their annual sojourn in the jungles of West Midnapore and Bankura in neighbouring Bengal.

"We are on alert as we want safe passage of the jumbos into the sanctuary. We don't want them to damage standing crops in human settlements surrounding the sanctuary," Dalma range officer R.P. Singh said.

According to the range officer, crackers and torches (mashals) have been distributed among the villagers to prevent elephants from entering the villages. "We are taking all precautionary steps for a hassle-free entry of the elephants into the sanctuary," Singh said, adding all Dalma jumbos are on their way home.

Villagers chased away a herd of 28 elephants that had camped at Katagoda jungles near Patamda in January.

In November, herd of five elephants were forced out of the sanctuary by villagers.

The Dalma elephants follow two corridors, one from Jhunjka and the other from Burudih. The first one leads to Nutandih while the other passes through Narsingpur in Ghatshila range, Suklara and Aamdapahari.