‘Operation Ferekata’ successfully drives elephants back to forest

Baranga : In a late-night operation, forest officials successfully guided two tusker elephants back into the Bharatpur forest under a special drive named ‘Operation Ferekata’ in Baranga.

The elephants, locally known as ‘Bada Ferekata’ and ‘Sana Ferekata’, had been camping on Shikhar Chandi hill for the past five days, raising concerns among nearby residents. To ensure their safe return, the Chandaka forest division launched a night operation, deploying three teams from the Bhubaneswar forest range to monitor and control the movement of the animals.

The tuskers were initially hiding in dense forest areas near the water tank zone. The operation began around 4 PM and continued till nearly 3:30 AM, involving the use of drones, night vision cameras, and sirens to gently drive the elephants away from human habitation.

During the night, the elephants descended from the hill and moved towards the foothills. Around 1 AM, one tusker broke through a boundary wall near a cremation ground in Patharagadia village and returned to the Bharatpur reserved forest. The second elephant was successfully driven back into the forest by around 3:30 AM.

The operation ensured the safety of both the elephants and local residents, preventing any potential human-wildlife conflict.