60 elephants are staying in Tikhali Reserve forest in Bolangir

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By

Sudhir Mishra Bolangir 

13September 2025

Bolangir ; Bolangir Forest is now home to around 90 jumbos, and they have been staying in the forest range of Muribahal, Saintla, Gudvella and Titilagarh since last year, much to the delight of wildlife and elephant conservation enthusiasts here..

 Divisional Forest Officer Bolangir, Ajit Kumar Bisi says that since the last few months, a total of 60 elephants have been staying in Tikhari reserve forest in the Muribahal forest  range area.

 

 Tikhari Reserve Forest is spread over around 1500 square kilometers and shares borders with the forest of Kesinga in the Kalahandi district.

 As the elephants are getting adequate food, water, and shelter inside the Tikhari reserve forest, we believe these elephants are staying here for such a long time.

  As the elephants are getting everything inside the forest, they are hardly coming outside the forest. However, forest personnel are tracking and monitoring their movement daily, says DFO Bolangir Ajit Bisi.

  Bolangir  forest shares forest borders with the Bargarh, Nuapada, Kalahandi, Sonepur, and Boudh districts.

Earlier, there were reports of migration/movement of Jumbos from Kantamal(Boudh district forest) to Athagaon area of the Bolangir forest range and to the Deogaon range area and return.

  Another group of elephants would migrate from the Padampur forest of Bargarh district to the Patnagarh area near the Harishankar forest, and they would return again.

 Another group here from the Nuapada area visits the Tureikela range, and after movement, they again return to their old habitat.

 However,as the  elephants are not moving beyond the Tikhari reserve forest area shows that 

they are getting food,,water and shelter there. These elephants are hardly coming out of the  forest. Our forest department personnel are monitoring and tracking their movement, and we are taking all steps to avoid human-elephant conflict," says the DFO further.

 

According to the latest report, forest officials have got the, Expelled Placenta of an elephant,, indicating the birth of a baby elephant there a few days  ago 

  Elephants move long distances in one night and are migratory in nature. Contrary to it, they are staying in one place, inside the Tikhari reserve forest in the Muribahal forest range. Wildlife lovers here opined for a  study of these elephants to know more in detail about their long stay in one place

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