From April-June 2023, at least 25 people died due to human-elephant conflict
The habitat of elephants has depleted and fragmented over a period, which has led to increased human-elephant conflicts in many parts of the state. Photo: iStock. This story has been updated
At least six persons died in encounters with elephants in different parts of Odisha in the last week alone (from June 5-10), according to sources.
Human-elephant conflicts are not new to Odisha. As many as 996 people were trampled to death by elephants in the state in the last decade (2013-2023). During the same period, 794 elephants died in the state due to human-elephant conflicts, according to official sources.
The death toll in the state reached an all-time high in 2022-2023 when 150 people died in human-elephant conflict. From April-June 2023, at least 25 people died in encounters with elephants.
The state witnessed the second-highest human casualties (139) in 2020-2021, followed by 117 in 2019-20, 113 in 2021-22 and 105 in 2017-18.
Similarly, the highest number of elephants died (93) in 2018-19, and the second highest deaths (92) occurred in 2022-23.
Of the total 794 deaths of elephants in the last decade, 38 were due to poaching, three by poisoning, 117 by electrocution, 22 in train accidents, six in road accidents, 140 in other accidents like infighting, falling from hills etc, and 281 in diseases.
While 93 died natural death, the reasons for the death of the others were unknown, sources added.
“The human-elephant conflicts are very alarming in the state. In the last two years, we have witnessed a human getting killed every two and half days, while an elephant is killed every four days. Such a high number of human and jumbo casualties had never been recorded in the past. It is one of the highest in the country,” said Biswajit Mohanty, secretary of the Wildlife Society of Odisha, a non-profit.
The habitat of elephants has depleted and fragmented over a period, which has led to increased human-elephant conflicts in many parts of the state, the expert said. Uncontrolled mining in forest areas is one of the causes of habitat loss, said Mohanty.
The elephant herds entered villages in search of food and killed locals when they tried to chase them, he said. Angul and Dhenkanal districts, where mining and quarrying activities are high, have reported the highest number of human casualties, he said. The lives of humans and elephants could be saved by controlling the mining and quarrying in the elephant habitats.
“Changing human attitude towards elephants will help to reduce human-elephant conflicts,” said Jitshatru Mohanty, the trustee of Elephant Foundation Trust.
Instead of teasing the herds, local people should help them pass through the villages peacefully, said Jitshatru, a retired senior forest officer. Massive awareness among the people is needed, particularly in conflict-prone areas, he said
Odisha chief secretary Pradeep Kumar Jena had recently directed the forest department to evolve a mechanism for issuing an early warning system to alert the villagers and thereby reduce human-animal conflicts as well as casualties.
“We are taking several steps like tracking the movements of the elephants to alert the villagers about their movements,” said a wildlife officer. Around 170 anti-depredation squads have been engaged to track them, he said.
Also read: Elephant in the room: Human-animal conflicts kill 1,401 people, 301 jumbos in 3 years in India
The Chhattisgarh government has recently launched an Artificial Intelligence-based App to track the movements of elephants and alert villagers. The Chhattisgarh Elephant Tracking and Alert App has been launched to reduce human-animal conflicts, said Bhala Chandra Sarangi, a tribal leader.
The App receives inputs from the elephant trackers — the residents of the affected villages. The forest department engages them to track the elephants and warn the people about their movement via WhatsApp.
The trial of the App was conducted in three districts in Udanti Sitanadi Tiger Reserve and evoked a successful response, according to a forest official in Chhattisgarh.
The forest department in Odisha needs to launch a similar App to reduce the rising human-elephant encounters,” said Sarangi.
We are a voice to you; you have been a support to us. Together we build journalism that is independent, credible and fearless. You can further help us by making a donation. This will mean a lot for our ability to bring you news, perspectives and analysis from the ground so that we can make change together.
.png)
Comments are moderated and will be published only after the site moderator’s approval. Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name. Selected comments may also be used in the ‘Letters’ section of the Down To Earth print edition.