Rupesh Samant
Pernem — For the last four days, the quiet farming village of Tamboxem in Pernem taluka has found itself sharing space with an unexpected guest — a 10-year-old elephant named Omkar.
Separated from his herd of five, Omkar crossed into Goa from the Maharashtra border and has since been foraging in the lush paddy fields of Tamboxem. The sight of the young tusker grazing among ripened crops has stirred both awe and anxiety among villagers, who worry he may soon wander into their homes.
Goa’s Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Navin Kumar told GNH on Saturday in Tamboxem village that the elephant had strayed after losing contact with his family.
“Omkar has been separated from his herd of five members and has strayed in Pernem taluka bordering Goa and Maharashtra. Help from Karnataka forest officials will be sought to re-unite him with his family,” he explained, after inspecting the spots where Omkar has been straying since the time he has arrived in this village.
Another forest department official said that the rest of the herd — which includes elephants Ganesh and Bahubali, along with three calves — is believed to be roaming the forests of Dodamarg in Maharashtra, some 20 kms away from Tamboxem.
For now, Omkar has made Tamboxem his temporary home. The forest department has set up a camp on the edge of the village to monitor him and prevent any intrusion into residential areas.
“The elephant is in the village itself as the paddy fields are not far away from the homes. What separates the village and paddy fields is a small rivulet, which has become a lakshman-rekha for him,” said Dayanand Gawandi, a member of the local panchayat.
But the invisible line of safety feels fragile. Villagers live in constant fear that Omkar may cross over.
“I advise all the villagers to remain in their homes, especially during the night. Omkar has a habit of being next to human habitation and he may try to enter the village, creating panic,” Kumar told residents during his Saturday evening interaction. He was the first senior official to visit since Omkar arrived.
Kumar said that the Omkar has travelled even to the city of Kolhapur in Maharashtra through the contiguous forest corridor.
The more immediate worry, however, is the damage to standing crops. “The biggest worry is the loss to the paddy cultivation and other crops. He has started attacking the paddy cultivation. The villagers are not even allowed to enter the fields as one never knows where Omkar is sitting,” said Madhusudhan Samant, former deputy sarpanch and a farmer.
For villagers dependent solely on agriculture, the elephant’s presence has disrupted daily life. Even cattle-rearing has become difficult. “We have been strictly instructed by the forest department not to leave our cattle in the field. We can’t leave them there, and we are also stopped from going to collect pasture. How will the cattle survive?” a middle-aged woman asked officials.
Though the department has assured that farmers will soon be allowed back into the fields under supervision, villagers are losing patience. “Drive him away into Dodamarg where his family is currently foraging. The forest department should not waste time on monitoring his movements. The action should be quick,” said farmer Hari Patil, participating in the discussion with Kumar at the village temple on Saturday.
Kumar told villagers that the task of driving him back was beyond local expertise of forest department. “We don’t have expertise. We will have to get a mahout from Karnataka along with his elephant, which will drive Omkar back in the forest,” he said, adding that talks were underway with Shimoga authorities to send trained hands.
Goa Forest Minister Vishwajit Rane also weighed in on Saturday, after meeting his Karnataka counterpart Eshwar Khandre in Bengaluru. Rane confirmed that Karnataka’s assistance was being sought to “rehabilitate Omkar, who has been damaging the crop.”
Straying elephants are not new to Goa. Another senior forest official recalled how elephants often wander in from the Tillari region of Maharashtra. “The change in crop pattern in Tillari, coupled with the development of eco-resorts and farmhouses, has disturbed the habitat of these elephants, pushing them to venture for greener pastures,” the official noted.
For now, Tamboxem waits anxiously, caught between compassion for the lost tusker and fear for their fragile livelihoods, as the state scrambles to find a way to reunite Omkar with his family in the forests.
