Protecting elephants in Saranda: West Singhbhum forest officials engage villagers; Awareness campaigns launched to safeguard elephants from illegal activities

Jamshedpur: The West Singhbhum forest department officials have started meeting the villagers of elephant-affected areas to deter them from indulging in illegal activities that would risk the lives of elephants in Saranda forest.Besides, the villagers will be urged to alert the local foresters in the event of any threat to the jumbos or when they come across any illegal activities concerning the threat to wildlife. “We have also launched continuous patrolling on a daily basis alongside monitoring of identified areas,” said regional chief conservator of forest Smita Pankaj. The official said that a route chart for the surveillance has been done, and dedicated teams have been formed for the task.The frontline officials, including forest guards and foresters, have been asked to increase their presence in the forest and strengthen their intelligence. Further, a notice containing the do’s and don’ts for villagers will be published in the local Hindi newspapers for mass awareness.This apart, the officials are considering FM radio and Santhali portals for broadcasting awareness messages.