Two low-rung forest staff risk lives to save 1,000 villagers from wild elephants in MP

Despite three villagers being trampled to death by a rampaging wild elephant duo in the forests of Madhya Pradesh’s Shahdol district on Monday morning, a major human disaster was averted thanks to the courageous efforts of two of the lowest-rung forest department staff.

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Jagmohan Singh, a 40-year-old forest beat guard, and Ramsajeevan Patel, a 38-year-old ad hoc forest chowkidar, risked their lives to alert and evacuate nearly 700—1,000 villagers who were plucking tendu leaves in the Dhondha jungles.

Their timely intervention prevented what could have been a massive tragedy, as the two elephants were moving from Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (BTR) to Sanjay Dubri Tiger Reserve in neighbouring Sidhi district.

“Generally, elephants travel at night when human presence is at its minimum. The route through which the two elephants travelled on Monday morning was used by another elephant from the BTR to reach Sanjay Dubri Tiger Reserve last year, but that was at night."

"Knowing well that there is comparatively lesser threat of wild animals during the daytime, around 700—1,000 villagers from 10-15 villages were plucking tendu leaves in the Dhondha jungles early on Monday morning,” forest beat guard Jagmohan Singh told TNIE on Tuesday.