The autopsy of some of the elephants that died in the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (BTR) showed traces of toxins, officials said on Saturday, but added that their nature was not immediately clear, making it difficult to determine whether they were intentionally poisoned or consumed crops. that had a poisonous infestation.

Ten elephants that were part of a herd of 13 died in the Madhya Pradesh reserve last week from what authorities said was suspected poisoning after they consumed Kodo millet.

According to officials aware of the matter, the School of Wildlife and Forensic Health (SWFH) found toxins in blood and other samples taken from some of the elephants. The autopsy found that the tusks consumed “a good amount” of the crop, which was infested by the fungi Aspergillus and Penicillium, said one of the officials, who asked not to be identified.

“There have been many cases in the past where humans and animals have been affected by Kodo poisoning. However, this can only be corroborated by toxicology reports and other tests. The teams are investigating the cause of the deaths and the nature of the toxins can be ascertained from reports from IVRI (Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly) and FSL (Forensic Science Laboratory), Sagar,” the official added.

However, agricultural experts added that more research is needed as infestation of millet by these natural fungi alone is unlikely to cause such rapid and severe effects on large mammals such as elephants without affecting other animals in the area. .

The Union Environment Ministry formed a panel on Saturday to probe the deaths and directed the state government to set up its own five-member committee for an independent probe. The ministry has not commented on whether the incident was a retaliatory poisoning after the tusks attacked crops.

“As per preliminary information shared by the concerned officials of the state of Madhya Pradesh, the death of the elephants may be due to poisoning. The final cause of death will only be determined through investigations, detailed postmortem reports, results of histopathological and toxicological reports and other corroborative evidence,” the ministry said in a note on Saturday.

The ministry also announced that the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) would carry out an independent investigation. State forest officials are monitoring other elephant herds in and around the reserve to avoid similar incidents.

SWFH veterinarian Dr AP Shrivastava, a member of the expert committee, said initial investigations suggested that the mycotoxins found in the bodies were produced by fungi. “In the initial investigation, mycotoxins produced by Kodo fungi were found in the body of the elephants, but the exact toxin and the reason will be found in the toxicology report. “The forensic report and toxicology report will be received later this week,” he said.

Three committees are investigating the deaths: the state panel headed by principal chief conservator of the forest, L. Krishnamoorthy, the State Tiger Strike Force and the WCCB team.

Krishnamoorthy, the principal chief conservator of forests who heads the state panel, said the government is not ruling out “any foul play in the matter and is also not blaming millet alone for the deaths” yet. “It is just a preliminary investigation that suggested the presence of mycotoxins and kodo in the stomach of elephants. The forensic report will reveal the true reason for the deaths,” he said.

Experts said it was imperative to wait for full toxicology reports, while stressing that poisoning, accidental or deliberate, is rare. “Elephant deaths from unnatural causes include railway accidents, electrocutions and poaching. Accidental or deliberate poisoning is the rarest form. Preventing such incidents in the future would require a combination of more widespread disease detection mechanisms in wild elephants, prompt and fair compensation for crop losses due to elephants to avoid retaliatory deaths, and better enforcement. law and sentences in case of crimes to deter illegal killing of elephants. ” said Aritra Kshettry, national lead for elephant conservation at WWF-India.

Kshettry added that forest areas where the giants are constantly expanding their range (including Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh) need robust monitoring protocols. “These may include GPS collars and the inclusion of local communities in conservation planning for sustained coexistence between people and elephants. To prevent accidental poisoning, there should be strict regulations on the use, storage and disposal of potentially lethal items in areas where elephants frequent,” he added.

The remaining three elephants killed two people on Saturday in separate incidents in the Umaria area of ​​the reserve.

Agricultural experts said Kodo millet poisoning was unlikely as the crop does not require pesticides in India as infestations are rare. “Kodo millet does not require any additional expenditure of pesticides. It only requires water to grow. The fungi present in Kodo millet cannot kill the largest mammal in the forest. If that was the case, then other wild or domestic animals must have also died, but there is no such report,” said Amarnder Reddy of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research.

Echoing similar views, wildlife expert Ajay Dubey said, “Kodo millet is a staple crop in the tribal areas, especially in Dindori, Mandla, Shahdol and Katni. In the forest, monkeys consume it in large quantities, but since they are absolutely healthy, it seems like a case of poisoning.”

Another expert highlighted the need for a thorough investigation. “A case of poaching has to be registered if it involves deliberate poisoning as elephants are protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. It is important to note that Madhya Pradesh had no elephants in recent history. Elephants now residing in the region migrated from neighboring states due to habitat loss, meaning local communities may not be accustomed to their presence. To ensure coexistence between humans and elephants, we must work extensively with local people, raising awareness and providing them with adequate compensation for any damage to crops or properties,” said Debadityo Sinha, climate and ecosystems lead at the Vidhi Center for Legal Policy.

Another expert said increasing human encroachment on nature is taking the conflict to new levels.

“If we come to the eastern part of the country, in the southern districts of West Bengal, another hotbed of human-elephant conflict, increasing cases of conflict cause elephant deaths every year. Very recently, a pregnant elephant was brutally killed by a burning iron rod thrown by a suspected member of a Hulla team (hired by the West Bengal forest department to drive away elephants from human settlements). Knee-jerk reactions to addressing this will not produce any fruitful results in the long run. Conflicts need to be addressed by adopting a multi-pronged approach: creating long-term food sources for elephants, providing sufficient and prompt compensation to affected farmers, ensuring the safety of villagers by putting up fences, etc., and appropriately creating rapid response teams. trained to cope. effectively address conflict situations with local authorities, among other things,” said Meghna Banerjee of the Human and Environment Alliance League.