Rich aquatic resources, a healthy forest cover and adequate protection levels have attracted the migratory elephants of Nepal to such an extent that they have now made the Dudhwa forests their permanent abode.
"A number of herds comprising 70 to 80 elephants have been staying in various pockets of DTR," field director of DTR Shailesh Prasad told PTI.
He said that till 2009, herds of 20 to 25 elephants visited Dudhwa from Nepal forests but after a brief stay here, they went back.
"However, since 2009, the guest pachyderms have changed their trend and they have stayed here," Prasad said.
"Food, shelter and protection are the basic three pre-requisites for the survival and growth of any wild animal and fortunately Dudhwa fulfils all these requirements to the suitability of elephants of Nepal," Vijay Prakash Singh, former UP state wildlife board member and convener of Terai Nature Conservation Society (TNCS) said.
"Habitat management, rich grasslands and water-bodies, a vast expanse of forests and rich protection enthused the visiting pachyderms to stay on in Dudhwa forever," he added.
Ideal habitat management of Dudhwa in terms of elephants, tigers and other protected wildlife species has attracted the conservationists also.
"Among the nine landscapes selected for elephant conservation under the Project Elephant, DTR is one under the North-Western landscape," field director Prasad said.
"This has added to more responsibilities for us to protect and preserve the bio-diversity of Dudhwa and its habitat," he added.
A young conservationist and Katarnia Ghat Foundation office-bearer Fazlur Rahman said that forest cover in Nepal had reduced to its minimum on the border, owing to which the elephants living there were forced to develop alternate living grounds.
"What else could be the better alternate than Dudhwa, Katarniaghat and Kishanpur, which provided all what the pachyderms needed for their survival and growth," he said.
