Gelephu Elephant Safety: 125 Rangers on Watch for Project 108
By Best of Bhutan Research Desk · October 29, 2026 · 7 min read
Wild Asian elephants share the lowland forests around Gelephu with farms, villages and, this week, tens of thousands of visitors. To keep the two apart during Project 108, the Divisional Forest Office (DFO) in Sarpang has deployed 125 forest officials across 17 areas around the event, BBS reported on 29 October 2026. This post covers Gelephu elephant safety for anyone travelling to the raising of the 108 Jangchub Chortens on 1 November: what forest teams are doing, where elephants are most often seen, and what to do if you meet one.
More than 120,000 people have registered to attend the event in Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC), according to an earlier BBS report on 20 October. Officials told BBS that elephant numbers in the area have not risen significantly. The concern is the sharp rise in human activity: more people, more food waste and more movement at dawn and dusk.
In short: keep food waste in the bins, stay alert near forest edges and wildlife crossings early and late in the day, never approach or photograph an elephant at close range, and call the toll-free 108 line if you see one.
For background on the event itself, see our Project 108 explainer.
Key Facts at a Glance
| Detail | What has been reported |
|---|---|
| Lead agency | Divisional Forest Office, Sarpang |
| Staff deployed | 125 forest officials |
| Event date | 1 November 2026 |
| Areas covered | 17 areas around the Project 108 venue and routes |
| Tracking | GPS collars; updates every 10 minutes for elephants in high-risk areas |
| Risk mapping | Areas graded green, amber or red |
| Main hotspots | West of Gelephu towards Samtenling and the Chhuzergang corridor; clusters around Gelephu town |
| Elephant numbers | Not significantly higher than usual, officials say |
| Emergency number | 108 (toll-free; forest rangers in the control room) |
| Source | BBS, 29 October 2026 |
What the Forest Teams Are Doing
According to BBS, the Sarpang DFO plan has four parts.
People on the ground. The 125 officials are spread across 17 areas. They monitor elephant movements, share sightings with each other and coordinate a response when animals come close to people.
Faster GPS alerts. Some elephants in the area wear GPS collars. For collared elephants in high-risk areas, location updates now arrive every ten minutes, which gives teams early warning when a herd starts moving towards a settlement, campsite or road.
Colour-coded risk zones. Each area is graded green, amber or red by risk level, so teams can put more people where elephants are most likely to appear.
Keeping elephants in the forest. Officials are improving habitat away from settlements with enrichment planting, salt licks, water holes and plants that elephants like to eat. In remote areas they plan to put out supplementary feed to draw elephants away from visitors.
Phub Dhendup, Chief Forestry Officer at DFO Sarpang, told BBS that the first step on meeting an elephant is "to call 108." Forest rangers are stationed in the 108 control room, and calls about elephants activate quick response teams.
Where Elephants Are Most Often Seen Around Gelephu
The highest-risk areas named by forest officials are west of Gelephu towards Samtenling and the Chhuzergang corridor. Past conflict records also show clusters around Gelephu town itself.
This matches earlier local reporting:
- In 2023, BBS reported a herd of five elephants breaking into a storehouse in Pelrithang, Gelephu Gewog, before dawn. Residents described crop and property damage every year, and a quick response team was then stationed at the Gelephu Forest Range office after office hours.
- An earlier Kuensel report (undated online) recorded 32 elephants across Gelephu, Samtenling, Shershong and Chuzagang, with the largest groups in Pelrithang and near the airport. Rangers expected the herds to move towards Phibsoo Wildlife Sanctuary once the paddy harvest ended.
- In June 2026, after several weeks of elephants entering villages, Kuensel reported that Sarpang rangers had started clearing invasive plants and planting food trees for an ecological corridor. Bhutan Post reported the corridor is meant to link Phibsoo Wildlife Sanctuary with Royal Manas National Park, using banana, mango, litchi, guava and bamboo, with camera traps to track wildlife use.
Gelephu sits on the edge of one of the best elephant landscapes in the eastern Himalaya. Royal Manas National Park, to the east, is home to elephants, tigers and golden langurs. That is part of what makes southern Bhutan special, and also why visitors to the GMC area need to take elephants seriously.
Why Waste Matters
Food waste is one of the main things that pulls elephants into settlements. Forest officials asked visitors to dispose of waste properly for exactly this reason.
On the same day, the Gelephu Mindfulness City Authority (GMCA) asked businesses and visitors to manage their own waste during the event, BBS reported. Sonam Wangdi, Managing Director of GMCA's Environment and Sustainability Cluster, said temporary colour-coded bins are being placed across the area. More than 5,000 toilets and urinals have been built at points around the venue, with public toilets set up behind the spectator galleries (zeeray) and marked with signboards. The site near the Mao Chhu, where the largest crowds are expected, has its own waste collection and sanitation services.
For travellers, this is simple: do not leave food scraps, fruit peel or packaging at campsites, roadsides or picnic spots, and use the bins provided.
What to Do If You See an Elephant
The advice below is from forest officials as reported by BBS.
- Keep your distance. Do not approach, chase or surround an elephant.
- Do not take close-range photos or videos. Use the zoom if you must, and move away.
- Be most careful at dawn and dusk, near forest edges and at wildlife crossings. Avoid any area where elephant activity has been reported.
- Call 108 straight away if you see an elephant near the event area, a campsite or a road used by attendees.
- Keep food sealed and dispose of waste in the bins provided.
If you are camping, ask the site managers whether your site is in an amber or red zone, and keep children close after dark.
What This Means for Travellers
If you are going to Project 108: the risk to any one visitor is low, but you are entering an area where elephants are a regular part of life. Use the free shuttles rather than walking along unlit roads at night. BBS reported that 16 free buses started running between Gelephu town and Lodari, Phurpa Lhakhang, Dechenpelri, Pemathang Chorten and Yangtsholing Tara on 29 October, every 20 minutes from 8 AM to 9 PM, with more than 130 buses from 1 November. Save 108 in your phone before you arrive. Bhutan Telecom and TashiCell have both added capacity around the venue, BBS reported; our Bhutan SIM card guide explains how to get a local number.
If you are crossing from India: the temporary immigration post at Hatisar and the extra routes are covered in our Gelephu border crossing post.
If you want to see elephants on purpose: do it with a licensed guide inside a protected area, not on the edge of town. Southern Bhutan's parks, including Royal Manas, are the right setting for wildlife viewing. Our guide to Bhutan's biodiversity covers where different species live, and our Gelephu destination page covers the wider area.
After the event: GMC is still growing, and so is the work to keep people and elephants apart. Bhutan uses GPS collars for other species too; see our report on the snow leopard collared in Thimphu.
Related Planning Links
- Project 108: Gelephu raises 108 stupas on 1 November
- Project 108 in 3D: interactive scroll film
- Gelephu border gets a temporary immigration post
- Bhutan biodiversity hotspot guide
- Gelephu destination guide
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there wild elephants in Gelephu?
Yes. Wild Asian elephants live in the forests around Gelephu in Sarpang district and regularly enter farmland, especially around Pelrithang, Samtenling and the Chhuzergang corridor. Forest officials told BBS that numbers have not risen significantly ahead of Project 108.
Is it safe to attend Project 108 because of elephants?
Forest officials have deployed 125 staff across 17 areas, track collared elephants every ten minutes in high-risk zones and grade areas by risk. Visitors who stay on main routes, use the shuttles, keep food waste in bins and avoid forest edges at dawn and dusk are at low risk.
What number do I call if I see an elephant in Gelephu?
Call 108. Forest rangers are stationed in the control room and can send a quick response team.
Where can tourists see elephants in Bhutan?
The best places are protected areas in southern Bhutan, such as Royal Manas National Park and Phibsoo Wildlife Sanctuary, visited with a licensed guide. Do not try to find elephants near villages or event sites around Gelephu.
Why do elephants come into Gelephu town?
Officials and residents have linked it to food and water, crops, fallow land that grows into thick bush, and development on former elephant habitat. Food waste can also draw elephants into settlements, which is why visitors are asked to use the bins.