Bengaluru, 21 Jan

Vehicular movements on Bengaluru’s  NICE road was halted for an hour or two, after a herd of elephants were spotted during the early hours of Sunday.

Wildlife sightings around NICE Road, Kanakapura, and Bannerghatta have now become common. Leopards were also sighted along the sides of NICE road.

According to residents in the settlements near the Roerich Estate, wild animals were spotted earlier also. Kamalamma, a daily wage worker, said “Sometimes it is really scary to see these animals walking around as we do not know when they might attack.”

Another resident of Mallasandra, Ashok said “We stay really close to the forest and many times I've seen various wildlife flourish out here. And with human settlements right at the neighbourhood of the forest, this will definitely lead to encounters.”

Elephant expert and Chief Wildlife Veterinarian, Dr Prayag Hodigere Siddalingappa, told Salar news “The human encroachment and lack of resources in its natural habitat makes them move to other places. And what's happening right now is the annual migration of these animals.”

When asked about the elephant corridor he said, “The corridor alone won't help in this situation. They remember the pathways and now that we have encroached the space where they move around, they are forced to find an alternative route and this leads them to come in contact with the humans.”

Demanding a holistic approach he said, “A tusker force is necessary to handle such situations.. The radio collaring of these giants alone is not enough. By the time the signal reaches the officials and they reach the spot, the damage would have already been done.”