Autopsies on some of the elephants that died at 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 deliberately poisoned or consumed cultures. which had a poisonous infestation.

Ten elephants from a herd of 13 died in the Madhya Pradesh reserve last week from what officials said was suspected poisoning after eating Kodo millets.

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

“There are many cases in the past when people and animals were affected by Kodo poisoning. However, this can only be corroborated with toxicology reports and other evidence. The teams are inquiring into the cause of deaths and the nature of the toxins can be ascertained from the reports of IVRI (Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly) and FSL (Forensic Science Laboratory), Sagar,” the official added.

Agricultural experts, however, added that more investigation is needed, as it is unlikely that millet infestation by these natural fungi alone would cause such rapid and severe effects in large mammals such as elephants without affecting other animals in the area.

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

“According to the preliminary information shared by the concerned officers in the state of Madhya Pradesh, the death of the elephants could be due to poisoning. The final cause of death will be established only through investigation, detailed post-mortem reports, results of histopathology and toxicology reports and other corroborative evidence,” the ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

The ministry also announced that the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) will conduct an independent investigation. State forest officials are monitoring other herds of elephants in and around the reserve to prevent similar incidents.

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 due to fungi in Kodo, were found in the elephants’ bodies, but the exact toxin and reason will be found in the toxicology report. The forensic report and toxicology report will be received by the end of this week,” he said.

Three committees are probing the deaths – the state commission headed by additional principal chief conservator of forest L Krishnamoorthy, the state Tiger Strike Force and the WCCB team.

Krishnamoorthy, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, who heads the state commission, said the administrations are not yet ruling out “any foul play in this matter and are also not blaming millets alone for the deaths”. “It is only a preliminary investigation that suggested the presence of mycotoxins and kodo in the stomachs of elephants. The forensic report will reveal the real reason behind the deaths,” he said.

Experts said it is imperative to wait for full toxicology reports, while stressing that poisoning, whether accidental or deliberate, is rare. “Elephant deaths from unnatural causes include railway accidents, electrocution 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 against crop losses due to elephants to prevent retaliatory deaths, and better enforcement and sentencing for crimes to deter the illegal killing of elephants. ,” said Aritra Kshettry, National Elephant Conservation Lead, WWF-India.

Kshettry added that forest areas where the giants are steadily 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 human-elephant coexistence. To prevent accidental poisoning, there should be strict regulations on the use, storage and disposal of potentially lethal items in areas frequented by elephants,” he added.

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

Agriculture experts said Kodo millet poisoning is unlikely as the crop does not require pesticides in India as infestations are rare. “Kodo millet does not require additional expenditure on pesticides. It only needs water to grow. The fungi present on Kodo millet cannot kill the largest mammal in the forest. If that was the case, then other wildlife or domestic animals must have 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 tribal areas, especially in Dindori, Mandla, Shahdol and Katni. In the forest, the monkeys consume it in large quantities, but the monkeys are perfectly healthy, so it looks like a case of poisoning.”

Another expert stressed 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 has had no elephants in its recent history. Elephants now resident in the region have migrated from neighboring states due to habitat loss, meaning local communities may not be used to their presence. To ensure human-elephant coexistence, we need to work intensively with the local population, sensitizing them and providing adequate compensation for any damage to crops or property,” said Debadityo Sinha, Leader – Climate and Ecosystems, Vidhi Center for Legal Policy.

Another expert said the increasing encroachment of humans into the wilderness is taking the conflict to new levels.

“Coming to the eastern part of the country, in the southern districts of West Bengal, another hotspot of human-elephant conflict, increasing cases of conflict are causing deaths every year. Very recently, a pregnant elephant was brutally killed by a burning iron rod thrown by an alleged member of a Hulla team (employed by the West Bengal forest department to remove elephants from human settlements). Knee-jerk reactions to solve this will not bear any fruitful results in the long run. Conflicts must 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 providing fencing, etc. and creating well-trained rapid response teams to deal with it. with effective handling of conflict situations with local law enforcement, among others,” said Meghna Banerjee of the Human and Environment Alliance League.