Heartbreaking! Elephant chokes to death in Karnataka after getting stuck in a fence

In Karnataka's Nagarhole National Park, a wild elephant choked to death on Saturday, while trying to flee from chasing villagers, Hindustan Times reported on Sunday.

In Karnataka’s Nagarhole National Park, a wild elephant choked to death on Saturday, while trying to flee from chasing villagers, Hindustan Times reported on Sunday. The tusker ravaged through Bharthawadi village, in the early hours of Saturday and was running back to the Veeranahosahalli forest when it got stuck in the railway fencing, HT reported.

With a chasing mob behind him, it tried to heave over the fence. While doing so it collapsed under its own weight and crushed its diaphragm and choked to death. This incident added another jumbo to the long list of elephant death in recent times, reported HT.

The railway fences were put up by the Karnataka forest department in 2013, as a measure taken to reduce conflict between animals and villagers. 33 km long railing was erected in the first phase of the project. Railing is to be erected in another 220 km stretch, with a budget of Rs 22 crores has also been sanctioned, HT reported.

KM Narayanaswamy, conservator of forests and field director, Nagarhole National Park, told Hindustan Times that the incident is unfortunate. “We have witnessed the death of an elephant due to railway fencing like this, for the first time.” He further added that “The fencing project has been undertaken to favour the farmers. And this is the first incident where it is seen to be affecting elephants adversely.”

In November, the Supreme Court passed an order to remove spikes and other artificial objects to allow free movement of the elephants. This came after a PIL was filed by author and conservationist Prerna Bindra.

“Elephants move long distances and such artificial barriers at times can have an adverse effect. In Sri Lanka’s Udawalawe National Park elephants starved to death when fencing was put up in the forest,” she told HT.

Project Elephant programme under the ministry of environment, forests and climate change, in their guidelines also mentioned that large-scale fencing is not a solution to human-elephant conflicts prevalent all over the country.

The Nagarhole National Park, where the incident happened, is a part of the largest Asiatic Elephant habitat with around 5,500 elephants, that stretches across multiple national parks across Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka. However, official estimates from the forest ministry, around 80 elephant die every year due to accidents or poaching and poisoning.

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