Assam’s Baksa Forest Division Successfully Radio Collars Second Wild Elephant

BAKSA: A 30-year-old female elephant was successfully radio-collared in Daranga Reserve Forest, located at the foothills of the Bhutan Himalayas under the Kumarikata Range of Baksa Forest Division in Assam’s Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC).

The operation, supported by the district administration and police of Tamulpur district, was part of a collaborative project between the Assam Forest Department and Aaranyak, a leading biodiversity conservation organization.

The initiative aims to study the movement and habitat usage of elephants in the Manas Landscape. Under the leadership of Dr. C. Ramesh, Field Director of Manas Tiger Reserve, and supervision by Baksa DFO Pradip Bhuyan, a team of veterinarians, forest officials, and biologists executed the operation.

Key participants included veterinarians Dr. Prabhat Basumatary, Dr. Bhaskar Choudhary, and Dr. Debabrata Phukan, along with elephant expert Kaushik Barua and Aaranyak’s technical and field experts. The logistics were managed by Hiten Kumar Baishya, Deputy Head of Aaranyak’s Elephant Conservation and Research Division (ERCD).

This operation was facilitated by Aaranyak with support from the SBI Foundation and Prof. Curtis Griffin of the University of Massachusetts, USA. It aims to provide crucial data on the elephant's movement, habitat preferences, and behavior, contributing to better management of human-elephant conflicts and conservation efforts.

This marks the second successful radio-collaring in Baksa Forest Division, with the first conducted on a tusker in November 2024. Such efforts play a vital role in promoting coexistence and conserving Assam's wildlife.

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