Save Elephant 'Corridor Walk' Concludes In Odisha

Bhubaneswar: With an aim to make an investigative assessment of the present state of affairs on the tiger and elephant corridors from Similipal Tiger Reserve of Mayurbhanj district to Satkosia Tiger Reserve of Angul district, an 11-day Corridor Walk covering a distance of about 400 kms ended today.

Save Elephant Foundation Trust, an organisation working for protection and conservation of elephants as well as mitigation of human-elephant conflict in the State, had launched the innovative initiative on January 11 from Thakurmunda under Similipal Tiger Reserve. Founder of the Trust and the present Lokayukta of Odisha, Debabrata Swain is the brainchild behind the programme.

Scientists of Wildlife Institute of India, student and researchers from universities, staff of Forest Department and local people were part of the corridor walk which reportedly aims at identifying the 'shortcomings, deficiencies and critical gaps in the regular movement of elephants'.

It also explored indigenous methods to avoid human-elephant conflicts through deliberation with inhabitants of corridor fringe villages and by connecting the locals with forest officials. Besides, it aimed at chalking out short-term curative steps and long-term preventive measures to prevent such conflicts.