Death Of Two Elephants Forces Removal Of Elephant Deterrent Spikes

India has long failed to control problems caused by their nations elephant population and their latest Elephant Deterrent Spikes was no different.

The Indian Army has begun removing rows of Elephant Deterrent Spikes that were put in place to keep the big tuskers from wandering off sanctuary grounds.

sharp iron spikes cemented on the ground to keep elephants off its Narengi Cantonment in Guwahati bordering the Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary.

The Army had planted the pointed barrier especially to deter herds that would raid the supply depot and soldiers’ kitchens. Assam’s wildlife officials said the Army ignored several formal requests to remove the spikes.

A senior Army officer, declining to be quoted, said they had taken note of reports of elephant deaths to start working on removing the spikes.

Pradipta Baruah, the Divisional Forest Officer of Guwahati Wildlife Division, said bloodstains pointed to elephants getting injured after stepping on the spikes.

‘Cruel strategy’

“At least two elephants in the sanctuary died of septicemia since December last year while others have been injured. Their legs bore signs of the outcome of the insensitive and cruel strategy to keep elephants at bay,” he told The Hindu.

Mr Baruah had written the last letter seeking removal of the spikes to a Colonel in charge of the administration of the Cantonment after the first elephant died on December 25.

Wildlife veterinarians said that the second elephant that died in February had been carrying the spike-induced infection in a leg for a long time.

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Wildlife SOS kicks off Refuse to Ride elephant campaign

The Refuse to Ride campaign says it aptly: if you truly love elephants, you will never ride one. But even if you have a heart, you will not opt for jumbo joyride after knowing how their ears are clipped and beaten up for several days to train them to take rides.

Wildlife SOS, Delhi-based NGO which has been known for rescuing `dancing’ bears from the brutality of Indian roads, has also saved many elephants from atrocity. It kicked off the Refuse to Ride campaign, partnering with the Gatimaan Express–Indian Railway’s high speed tourist train between Delhi and Agra. The campaign aims to create awareness among tourists about the abuse that Asian elephants undergo at the hands of their handlers–be it in nature parks or cities like Jaipur where they are specifically used for joyrides.

Kartick Satynarayan, co-founder and chairman of Wildlife SOS says, “The campaign is aimed at creating awareness and promoting elephant protection using unusual mechanism. In the recent past, a number of these pachyderms have died across the railway lines being hit by trains. That is why we thought of using a train to spread the message. All the seats of the Gatimaan express (AC chair car train) having head rest covers with campaign flyers #refusetoride and information about the abused elephants. The food trays also have leaflets as liners where there are more details of the elephant deaths and abuse. We have also put up huge poster sized pictures of jumbos. And we already have received incredible feedback from the travellers and they say their souls are churned seeing those information. Tourists and public are innocent and ignorant. If they know the grim realities, they would definitely not ride one hereafter. That is the change we are looking at.”

He further added how the tuskers used for rides or carrying load are treated. “Elephants belong to the wild. They can get easily angered so they are trained through pain and fear mechanisms. They are constantly beaten up, and their ears are clipped…all this goes on until its spirit dies and it bows to the handler’s commands,” he says.

The campaign will go on for 30 days and plans are in place to roll it out in taxis in other cities too.

Elephant in India is a heritage animal and home to the largest population of the Asian elephant species until half a decade ago. According to the Elephant Census 2017, decline in numbers are starting to threaten the species already. Till 2017 survey, India had 27,312 tuskers in 23 states, a drop from an estimated 30,700 in 2012. In 2007, there were an estimated 27,670.

In the last eight years, the country witnessed 80 elephants dying every year, which totals up to 655. The observation of the census is that there were four main reasons for this–electrocution, train accidents/collision, poaching and poisoning.

In December, an elephant in Nagarhole forest in Karnataka was found dead while crossing a tall fence. This happened a couple of months after `Rowdy Ranga’–another from the same forest range was mowed down by speeding bus on the highway criss-crossing the forest. Odisha saw about 65 ghastly elephant deaths in 2018, mainly due to poaching. One of them was an eight year old jumbo that chewed a bomb left by poachers in Rajanagar.

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Human-elephant conflict kills 1,713 people, 373 pachyderms in 3 years

Electrocution is a leading cause of elephant deaths; factors, including habitat disturbance, cause for rise in conflict, Minister tells Parliament
In the three years between 2015-2018, human-elephant conflict caused 1,713 human and 373 elephant deaths by unnatural causes, including electrocution and poaching. Experts say various factors, including habitat disturbance and urbanisation, could be the cause of the alarming rise in unnatural human and animal casualties.

Highest numbers
In a response to Parliament, Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Minister of State in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFF), said damage to houses and crops had been reported in several States. Data presented by him showed that the highest numbers of human casualties had occurred in West Bengal (307 deaths), followed closely by Odisha (305).

In 2018 alone, Dr. Sharma said, 227 people were killed by wild elephants in 16 States, with Assam reporting the highest number (86).

Electrocution of elephants is a particular cause for concern in managing India’s elephant population. Deaths caused by electrocution stood at 226, contributing to 60.6% of deaths since 2015, according to the data. In comparison, elephant deaths by all other causes, including train accidents, poaching and poisoning, added up to 147.

The data showed that the mean number of elephant deaths per year would be 56.6 — a worrying statistic.

While the data provides information on the causes of the deaths, it does not mention the States with the highest number of elephant-related deaths, thus eliminating the possibility of looking at case-specific details.

Human deaths
The fragmented landscape in West Bengal makes it difficult to prevent elephant or human deaths, said N. Kalaivanan, veterinarian and elephant expert.

Ajay Desai, consultant, World Wildlife Fund-India (WWF) explained that human-elephant conflict in West Bengal dates back three decades. “In the 1980s, elephants in the Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary would be confined to the Dalma hills, as food and water was available for them. When cultivation of paddy began in the plains near the hills, elephants began moving downwards to raid crops. Villagers chased them away and elephants began moving all the way to the southern portion of West Bengal,” he said. Since elephants were not confined to a restricted environment, widespread conflict between humans and animals increased.

Elaborating on Odisha’s problem, Mr. Desai said that the growing number of mines would continue to be a problem for elephants there. “Elephants move from Odisha and Jharkhand to Chattisgarh. The Chhattisgarh population, however, is unaccustomed to the presence of elephants in their midst. This leads to many accidents,” he said.

Mr. Desai said that detailed post mortems of elephants is difficult as the bodies are decomposed at the time of examination in cases of death by electrocution. “Some deaths are caused by the presence of low hanging wires, others are retaliatory in nature. Situation analysis of each death must be done by the Forest Department to ascertain the cause of the death,” he said.

Localised solutions
Dr. Kalaivanan recommends localised solutions to elephant-related problems.

“Policy should be formed to provide solutions suited to the particular geography. Habitat degradation is a major cause of elephant deaths. While compact landscapes like ones in the Nilgiris provide little space for interaction between wild elephants and people, disturbed landscapes, like Thevaram in Tamil Nadu’s Theni district, are linear forests and hence lead to issues such as crop raiding and human deaths,” he said.

Mr. Desai also noted that degradation of habitat and a rise in elephant population in certain parts of the country are not discussed in detail. Recognising problems like deforestation is seminal to creating a solution, he said.

Dr. Sharma said that the Ministry has approved the construction of physical barriers such as barbed wire fences, solar powered electric fences, and bio-fencing using cactus and boundary walls, to prevent the entry of elephants into agricultural land. Dr. Kalaivanan suggests the stepping up of community participation in the protection of crop lands and elephants.

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Supreme Court Makes It Clear, Elephants Have First Right On Forest, Orders Demolition Of A Wall Blocking Jumbo Path

For centuries, herds of elephants have lived in the forest and have crisscrossed it walking miles at a stretch searching for food and water. But thanks to humans, the wild elephants are increasingly finding it difficult to travel through their traditional migratory paths which they have used for generations.

That is because we humans have built highways and railway tracks inside dense forests, effectively cutting the wildlife crossings in the middle. And if that wasn't enough we have made massive walls and fences around the roads on the pretext of 'keeping the wild animals safe' from speeding vehicles and trains.

Basically telling the wild animals to forget about their traditional migratory routes and walk some more kilometers extra around the blockades and find a new path.

But, animals being animals did not get the message and continued trying to cross through the same paths often ending up dead on roads and railway tracks after being hit by speeding vehicles and trains.

Now, the Supreme Court in an order that could have far reaching implication has ruled that elephants have the first right on the forest. (like someone had to be told that!)

A two member bench of the Supreme Court while ordering the demolition of a boundary wall in the middle of an elephant corridor in Deopahar Reserve Forest in Assam's Golaghat made it clear that the right of wild animals on the forests cannot be overlooked.

The border wall, which had barbed wire on top of it was built in an area spanning 2.2-kilometre was built by the state-run Numaligarh Refinery Ltd (NRL) in 2011, for its housing estate which included a a golf course in the middle of an elephant corridor!

The wall courted controversy after a series of elephant deaths there, after the jumbos died of severe haemorrhage from hitting their head against the wall in attempt to bring it down.

In 2015 environmentalists had captured videos showing elephants trying to cross the high boundary wall.

Environmentalist and RTI Activist Rohit Choudhury had filed a petition against the wall in the NGT in 2015. In August 2016 the NGT ordered the NRL to demolish the wall and slapped it an environment compensation of Rs 25 lakh on NRL for destruction of forest cover in Golaghat district to construct a boundary wall for a golf course.

NRL however filed an review petition claiming that the township was cleared by the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority and there was no need to demolish the entire wall as it was not a part of the Deopahar Reserve Forest.

Rejecting the appeal in August 2018, the bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel said the elephant corridors have to be preserved to protect their habitats from fragmentation.

"We are of the view that in view of categorical finding already recorded by the tribunal that the area where the wall came up and the area where proposed township is to come up is a part of the Deopahar Reserve Forest, rehearing on merits is not permissible. Accordingly, we do not find any ground for review of order dated August 24, 2016. The review application is dismissed," the bench had said.

NRL had filed the review despite in 2107 the Assam government asking it to demolish the wall which the company said was to secure the residential complex for the refinery workers.

Even after the NGT rejecting its review plea the NRL moved the SC to keep its wall intact.

But on January 18 a two-judge bench of the SC comprising of Justices D Y Chandrachud and M R Shah ruled that whatever is left of of the wall should be demolished.

"Elephants have the first right on the forest. Elephants do not go to office in a designated route. We cannot encroach upon the elephant’s area," Justice Chandrachud observed.

Talking to Indiatimes Rohit Choudhury said the SC order was a welcome step in protecting wildlife and especially elephants.

"I am very happy with the verdict of the Supreme Court. It is a victory for the elephants. Hopefully now NRL will demolish the walls so that elephants can move freely in that area. It will also help in reducing the man-animal conflict in the region".

He also added that the SC observation is in line with the NGT order which had already held that elephants had the first right to forest.

"Earlier itself the NGT had ruled in favour of the elephants. But the NRL was not willing to accept it and went for an appeal. I am happy that the SC found that there was no merit in it," he said.

The order is significant and has far reaching implication on asserting the right of wild animals on forests.

This is especially significant in places like the Bandipur National Park in Karnataka where a proposed elevated corridor which would have passed through several key wildlife crossings.

Earlier this month, taking note of the opposition from the state government and environmentalists, Mahesh Sharma, MoS Environment Forests and Climate Change had said that the corridor which comprises of elevated structures at four regular intervals, as suggested by the Union Ministry of Road Transport, has not been concurred with.

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Northeast Frontier Railway’s method to avert elephant deaths to be adopted across India

GUWAHATI: Indian Railways will replicate the successful innovation by
Northeast Frontier Railway to keep wild elephants away from crossing
railway tracks to save them from being hit by trains by playing amplified
sound of honey bees.

NFR has installed the system at select locations where railway tracks cut
through elephant corridors. Sound of the buzz of honeybees downloaded
from the internet automatically starts playing electronically from a device
the moment elephants come too close to the tracks. Elephants are known
to be scared by honeybees and the sound of the buzzing bees loud
enough to seem like an approaching swarm scares the mammoths.

NFR had earlier tested other techniques like chili bombs and electric fences but the sound of the buzzing bees has proved to be the most efficient. The simple device that amplifies the recorded sound of honeybees makes it audible to an elephant more than 500 metres away from the tracks.

NFR chief PRO Pranav Jyoti Sharma said railway minister Piyush Goyal, while addressing a review meeting of senior railway officers at NF Railway headquarters at Maligaon here, said that “the use of sound of honey bees for chasing away elephants from railway tracks is an example of rural innovation that can bring in real transformation.”

“NF Railway’s Rangiya division had successfully installed a mechanism where sound of bees is amplified whenever elephants are spotted near railway tracks to chase them away, thereby saving wild elephants from being hit by trains. The minister said such a mechanism would be considered for replication elsewhere in the country,” the CPRO said.

NFR has placed these buzzing devices across four of its divisions at select level crossings where elephant zones exist. According to NFR, the devices, which started functioning since 2017, has significantly reduced the number of elephant deaths.

Every year, trains mow down elephants on tracks. In 2013, as many as 19 elephants were killed, five were killed in 2014, 12 in 2015, nine in in 2016 and 10 in 2017.

Goyal also told the NFR authorities that the railway ministry will soon approach the cabinet committee on economic affairs for clearance of doubling of railway line from New Bongaigaon to Guwahati via Rangiya.

“He said that following the major success of completing Bogibeel Bridge, all efforts should now be pointed towards doubling of railway lines in the region for capacity enhancement. He asked the officials to prepare a plan of action within one week. He also spoke to Assam forest minister Parimal Suklabaidya for ensuring quick permission for soil procurement, which is presently hampering the project’s progress in the state,” the CPRO added.

Goel was apprised that the Tetelia-Byrnihat new railway line, doubling of Lumding-Hojai section, Agartala-Sabroom new railway line and international line from Jogbani to Viratnagar would be ready very soon.

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67 elephants died in Odisha in last nine months

Odisha has become a graveyard state for elephants as 67 of them have died there in the last nine months, shows data released by Wildlife Society of Odisha (WSO), an environmental pressure group, on December 20, 2018.

This elephant mortality data shows that 18 jumbos died due to natural causes, 19 of unknown reasons, four were killed by poachers, nine were electrocuted by live wire, 11 by sagging lines and six elephants were mowed down by trains. These deaths were reported between April 1, 2018 and December 18, 2018.

This goes to show that 45 per cent of dead elephants were led to that fate by unnatural causes. Moreover, no reason has been ascertained for around 28 per cent deaths, some of which could also be due to unnatural causes. “It would not be unfair to conclude that more than 50 per cent of elephant deaths occurred due to unnatural causes,” says Biswajit Mohanty, secretary, WSO.

Another matter of concern is that adult breeding male elephants form a majority among those who died of unnatural causes. “Odisha loses 18-20 such adult male elephants every year threatening the health and sustainability of its elephant population. Already 18 adult breeding male elephants have died in Odisha this year since April,” says Mohanty. “The only action taken till now is suspension of low ranking forest guards and foresters, while not a single range officer or divisional forest officer has faced any flak,” he adds.

This is when a 2011 Odisha government circular says every case of unnatural elephant death has to be mandatorily investigated to fix responsibility.

The April train accident in Jharsuguda division that saw four elephants get killed by a speeding train, only the range officer was suspended. “Divisional officers always find scapegoats in forest guards and foresters. This is when DFOs and range officers are supposed to oversee squads that track elephants 24 hours a day and crores of public money is being spent on them,” adds Mohanty.

The WSO, while demanding an inquiry into each elephant death case, says the main reason Odisha is turning into a graveyard for the animal is lack of accountability. “We are of the firm view that unless the role of senior field officers is scrutinised properly for every unnatural death of an elephant in their jurisdiction, elephants will continue to die,” appeals Mohanty.

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No measures taken by the expert committee for probing deaths of elephants

BENGALURU: Eight months have passed since the Karnataka forest department had constituted a technical expert committee for the probe of the deaths of elephants (natural and unnatural) within the state.

Although the panel still has to hold its first meeting as the jumbos are continuing to die under several circumstances. The latest among these fatalities is the heart-breaking case which took place at the Nagarahole National Park, where an elephant died as it was choked to death after it was pinned to a railway fence.

The expert committee that has been constituted this year has not taken any measures towards the plight of wildlife. A copy of the official memorandum on the formation of a “technical committee of experts to investigate unnatural and natural deaths of elephants in the state”, dated to March 23, 2018, requests the committee members to suggest concrete measures for the prevention of elephant mortality in the state. The memorandum had been signed by the principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife) who also set a deadline of two months (from April 1) for the submission of the report.

The committee was formed due to the deaths of several Asiatic elephants because of unnatural and natural causes such as, getting trapped in sludge and resulting in drowning, electrocution, train accidents, etc.

While Manoj Kumar, then chief conservator of forests (wildlife), Bengaluru, is the chairman of the committee, the other members are Dr AJT Johnsingh, advisor to ministry of environment, forest and climate change; Dr Arun Zakaria, assistant forest veterinary officer, Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, Wayanad; Dr Prayag, veterinary doctor; Dr Mujeeb, veterinary doctor, Nagarhole Tiger Reserve; Ajai Desai, Karnataka State Wildlife Board member; IISc professor Surendra Verma, and director or representative from the Institute of Animal Health and Veterinary Biologicals, Bengaluru.MM Jaya, deputy conservator of forests, Madikeri wildlife division, is the committee’s member secretary.

“The well-intended state formed committee has remained on paper. It consists of experienced senior IFS officers, senior scientists, wildlife experts, veterinary experts, senior biologists who were supposed to meet and submit a report by May-end. But we haven’t met even once. The forest department has not moved a bit on the proceedings,” he said on condition of anonymity.

“On the other hand, the government is spending over Rs 200 crore of taxpayers’ money for fencing, which, in fact, appears to be counterproductive now, especially after what we saw at Nagarahole. The state government and forest department should convert good intentions into action. Otherwise, there will be committees after committees to probe deaths, which never meet in reality.”

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Expert committee tasked with studying Karnataka elephant deaths remains on paper

BENGALURU: It has been over eight months since the Karnataka forest
department constituted a technical expert committee to investigate
elephant deaths (natural and unnatural) in the state.

However, the panel is yet to hold its first meeting even as jumbos continue
to die under various circumstances. The latest among the fatalities is the
heart-breaking case at Nagarahole National Park, where an elephant
choked to death after it got stuck in a railway fence.

TimesView
While elephants in Karnataka are dying almost routinely and often due to
reasons that are preventable, the authorities concerned appear anything
but concerned. That the expert committee constituted this year has not met even once shows how indifferent they are to the plight of wildlife. These deaths appear to go little beyond numbers and the lack of urgency in dealing with the issue is appalling. Belated though, not only should the committee members meet, they should look into the various factors leading to these fatalities and map out lasting solutions to tackle the problem. The gentle giants deserve better.

A copy of the official memorandum on the formation of a “technical committee of experts to investigate unnatural and natural deaths of elephants in the state”, dated March 23, 2018, requests the committee members to suggest concrete measures to prevent elephant mortality in the state. The memorandum signed by principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife) also set a deadline of two months (from April 1) for submission of the report.

However, independent experts, who are part of the committee, told TOI they haven’t got any call for a meeting or field visits to take the matter forward. The committee was formed following the deaths of several Asiatic elephants due to various unnatural and natural causes like getting trapped in sludge and resulting in drowning, electrocution, train accidents, etc.

While Manoj Kumar, then chief conservator of forests (wildlife), Bengaluru, is the chairman of the committee, the other members are Dr AJT John Singh, advisor to ministry of environment, forest and climate change; Dr Arun Zakaria, assistant forest veterinary officer, Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, Wayanad; Dr Prayag, veterinary doctor; Dr Mujeeb, veterinary doctor, Nagarhole Tiger Reserve; Ajai Desai, Karnataka State Wildlife Board member; IISc professor Surendra Verma, and director or representative from the Institute of Animal Health and Veterinary Biologicals, Bengaluru.MM Jaya, deputy conservator of forests, Madikeri wildlife division, is the committee’s member secretary.

An expert, who is part of the committee, said the unnatural death of elephants in Kar nataka is alar ming. Jumbos are being killed by speeding vehicles, railway fences, slush poisoning and food bombs (kutcha bombs laced with food). “The wellintended state formed committee has remained on paper. It consists of experienced senior IFS officers, senior scientists, wildlife experts, veterinary experts, senior biologists who were supposed to meet and submit a report by May-end. But we haven’t met even once. The forest department has not moved a bit on the proceedings,” he said on condition of anonymity.

Another committee member said Karnataka, which has the highest number of wild elephants, has no dedicated elephant squad like in Kerala or medical facility to treat injured jumbos like in UP, where a facility has been set up by an NGO.

“On the other hand, the government is spending over Rs 200 crore of taxpayers’ money for fencing, which, in fact, appears to be counterproductive now, especially after what we saw at Nagarahole. The state government and forest department should convert good intentions into action. Otherwise, there will be committees after committees to probe deaths, which never meet in reality.”

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Railways to introduce sensor technology to check elephant deaths on tracks

New Delhi, Dec 13: In order to reduce the increasing incidents of elephant
deaths on railway tracks, Indian Railway has implemented an innovative
method. The ministry is now looking forward to introducing a sensor built
by a professor at IIT-Delhi to prevent elephant deaths on railway tracks.

Subrat Kar, a professor at IIT-Delhi, was working on a device to curb
elephant deaths due to train accidents since 2008. In 2014, his research
gained momentum when the Indian Railways extended nancial support
and provided him with a grant of Rs 30 lakhs.

The researcher has created a new type of heat-and-motion sensors which
they say can keeps tabs on these animals' movements through their natural
habitats and alert authorities whenever an elephant herd decides to cross a
railway.

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Assam government mulls GPS collars on elephants as early warning system

The government in Assam is considering a proposal to use GPS-tted collars on elephants to study the pattern of their movement, officials said, as the number of casualties in the human-tusker conflict has been rising in the state.

“GPS-tted collars would help map the migration route and locate herds. It will serve as an early warning system,” the state’s principal chief conservator of forests and head of forest force SK Srivastava said.

If all the approvals come through, the Assam forest department will start with a pilot project in Nagaon forest division.

“The idea is to t the collars on ve to six animals and then study the response,” said Suvasish Das, Nagaon’s district forest officer.

Srivastava pointed out that more than 70 humans and 55 elephants have lost their lives so far this year.

Last week, an elephant which had strayed from the herd killed four people including a child in Kheroni in West Karbi Anglong district. On the same day, another man was trampled to death in Udalguri part of the Bodo Territorial Administrative Districts.

Elephants, too, are bearing the brunt as they are often poisoned or die after coming in contact with the
electric fences which have been put by people who are now mostly living in spaces which were earlier elephant habitats or corridors for their movement.

“Electrocution, train hits and poisoning are big reasons,” said Srivastava, adding the number of elephant deaths included those who died of natural causes, too.

Officials of the state forest department said the project will be carried out in consultation with the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru and Wildlife Institute of India.

Assam’s forest cover is under severe pressure from the rising population. A study by Indian Institute of Remote Sensing titled Forest Cover Monitoring and Prediction in a Lesser Himalayan Elephant Landscape, published in Current Science in August said 9,007.14 square kilometres of forest may face depletion by 2028 in parts of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.

The study which monitored forest cover depletion in parts of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh over an area of 42,375 square kilometres of elephant landscape showed continuous high loss of forest cover.

“The total loss in forest cover was estimated to be about 7,590 sq km from 1924 to 2009,” the study said adding that an increasing human population and subsequent demand on the land for cultivation were the major reasons for forest cover depletion.

“It is such a scenario now that both the elephants and the humans are victims,” Assam’s principal chief conservator of forest (wildlife) DP Bankhwal said.

“GPS collars will help gather crucial data. Unavailability of data is a problem,” he said adding that it is merely a means and part of the many technological interventions which are being considered but the problem needs to be tackled on the ground.

The forest department is also considering raising an in-house team of mahouts to train elephants which would be used to drive away rogue elephants.

“Mahouts from Assam have been engaged by other states but we do not have a sufficient number ourselves,” said Das.

The 2017 census put the population of elephants in the northeast at 10,139 of which 5,719 are found in Assam.

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Bruised, starved and sick: The sorry state of captive elephants in India

Many years ago, we got a report that Lakshmi, a temple elephant in Davanagere (Karnataka), had suddenly died. We went to conduct a post-mortem,” says Manoj Kumar, a senior official at the Karnataka Forest Department who oversaw the Project Elephant program in the state till July 2018. “It was tragic to find out that Lakshmi died due to constipation. It was festival season and they had fed her only coconuts and bananas.”

Lakshmi’s death is only one among many such elephant deaths in India. While concerted efforts are made to protect India’s wild elephants, little is done to oversee the well-being of captive elephants who routinely die of tuberculosis, foot abscess, malnutrition, and countless other preventable illnesses. In May 2018, UK-based Action for Elephants described Kerala as ‘ground zero for elephant torture’.

There is no government data on deaths of captive elephants. Suparna Ganguly of Compassion Unlimited Plus Action says that 73 captive elephants have died in Kerala since 2016; at least five died in Tamil Nadu this year.

Tortured lives

“A captive elephant faces both physical and mental abuse,” says GR Govind, founder of Gaja Raksha, an organisation that works for the well-being of captive elephants. “Their feet become septic, life-threatening sores develop on their backs and hips when they are made to carry heavy loads frequently,” he says.

An elephant is meant to walk at least 30 kms a day and hence they are constantly bobbling even when stationary. Many temples and institutions cannot afford to give the elephants a nutritious, wholesome diet. They are also highly intelligent, social animals and captive isolation takes a heavy toll on their mental health, resulting in stereotypy.

According to government data, there are about 3,500 elephants in captivity in India: in forest camps, private ownership, travel and tourism, zoos and temples. While the conditions in forest camps are in most cases good, it is in temples and in tourism that elephants suffer the most.

Complex animals

“Elephants are complex animals and have so many requirements at multiple levels that it is not possible for humans to fulfil all of them,” says Ganguly. “For example, in the forests they eat so many different kinds of food and that helps them retain their colour. But most captive elephants will have a white pigmentation on their trunks,” she adds.

Releasing all captive elephants into the wild is not an option, however. “Most captive elephants will not be able to survive in the wild after a certain age, that is why we’re trying to focus on providing them good conditions and keep them in semi-captivity,” says Subhash Malkhede, additional principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife), Karnataka forest department. “We have initiated training camps for mahouts and have issued guidelines for the proper upkeep of captive elephants.”

Individuals like GR Govind have also taken the initiative to work with captive elephants and their mahouts. “We try to do the best we can in the given conditions. I have noticed that many temple authorities are also responsive and try to create better conditions for animals,” he says. From simple measures such as sheathing the elephant’s chains with rubber, creating larger enclosures, especially during the bull elephant’s increased hormonal level , their captive conditions are improved.

Corrective measures

Apart from Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and Prevention of Cruelty of Animals Act, 1960, many state guidelines exist for the welfare of captive elephants. “The problem is with implementation and there is also a lot of collusion between owners and local politicians, who are more concerned with profiting from the animal than their proper upkeep,” says Ganguly.

In November, the Supreme Court directed the Animal Welfare Board of India to conduct a survey across the country to ascertain the number of elephants in captivity and their conditions.

More often than not, captive elephants such as Lakshmi either live a tortured life or succumb to their circumstances. As GR Govind says, “At the end of the day, we want a change in attitude. Of course, there shouldn’t be any more captives but owners must realise that what they are doing is wrong, not because I or anyone else thinks it is wrong.”

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THIS NEW DEVICE COULD SAVE THOUSANDS OF ELEPHANTS FROM BEING HIT BY TRAINS IN INDIA

A new, high-tech device is set to be tested in India that could prevent the rising number of elephants killed by trains.

A decade in the making, the device — developed by Professor Subrat Kar at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi — uses sensors, cameras, and lasers to detect the presence of elephants near the train tracks. Once elephants are detected, the sensors send messages directly to drivers so they can either slow down or stop the train completely.

This device is long overdue and highly needed; India has the highest number of elephant deaths due to trains in the world. Between 1987 and 2017, 266 elephants were killed by trains.

Last year, 12 elephants were killed by trains, but 2018 has already seen the death of 26 elephants due to railway collisions.

In February this year, five elephants were tragically killed when hit by a speeding train. The herd included young calves who were unable to move off the tracks in time; the adult elephants surrounded the babies in an attempt to save them, resulting in the death of two babies and three adults.

Only a month ago, another elephant was killed as it tried to cross the tracks in Assam.

These numbers are shocking, especially since authorities have been trying to address the problem for the last five years. New rules came into play last year stating that trains must go no faster than 30 km per hour in elephant corridors, and wildlife officials are supposed to let the Railways department know about movements of herds close to the tracks. In some spots, there are even speakers which emit the sound of buzzing bees in an attempt to deter elephants.

A LadyFreethinker petition urging India’s Minister of Railways to take action on this issue has reached nearly 18,000 signatures.

SIGN: Stop Freight Trains from Killing India’s Elephants

Elephant/human conflict is a massive problem for the nation, as the population expands into key habitats and elephants are forced to interact with people and deal with manmade hazards.

Train tracks cross through 20 of India’s 101 elephant corridors, and the problem is only going to increase as infrastructure — including more railway lines — spreads across the country.

With elephant deaths occurring with increasing regularity, this device can’t come soon enough; however, researchers are waiting until the 2019 monsoon season to commence testing at a site in the Rajaji National Park.

“We will install sensors at sensitive spots, and not everywhere,” said Subrat Kar, the developer of the device. “There are known paths along which the elephants move, so we install sensors on these paths, which detect them through bodyrays, cameras, and vibration.

“The success of this preventive measure depends on detecting the elephants much before the train is there. Three kilometers before roughly translates to 3-4 minutes before.

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IIT-D-built sensor could prevent elephant deaths on railway tracks

Elephant deaths on railway tracks may be averted when a sensor built by a professor at the Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi (IIT-D) is put to test. If all goes well, it may be installed along the tracks frequented by elephants and prevent their cruel deaths.

"The sensors are yet to be installed. This was to be tested in the monsoon season. Since this monsoon has passed, we are waiting for the 2019 season. Our system is functional. We have tested in a similar setting but not at the site. We have earmarked the Rajaji National Park as the test deployment site. It is the ideal place, kind of a controlled environment and good for experiments. It's where trains are known to travel at the correct speed," Subrat Kar, a professor at the department of electrical engineering at IIT-Delhi, told IANS.

According to the Wildlife Protection Society of India, in last five years alone India has lost near 100 elephants in train-related accidents. Moving at a slow pace, complete with their calves, they fail to respond fast enough to avoid a train hurtling towards them. In 2018, 26 elephants have so far succumbed to such collisions, the most recent being in Odisha's Keonjhar where an elephant was killed after being hit by a goods train.

Kar has been working on building a sensor device for close to a decade now in collaboration with the Wildlife Institute of India in Dehradun and funded by the Railways and Department of Science and Technology. Though there has been a buzz around the apparatus for years, it is only now slated to be tested in real conditions.

So far Kar has tested the sensor only inside the IIT-Delhi campus and the results have been "satisfactory".

The sensor detects from a distance the movement of elephants through a number of in-built devices. Once it detects the movement of the elephants, it sends a radio signal to the nearest station, which conveys the message to the driver to either stop or slow down the train.

"We will install sensors at sensitive spots, and not everywhere. There are known paths along which the elephants move, so we install sensors on these paths, which detect them through bodyrays, cameras and vibration. Then we convey the information to the nearest station and from there we convey the information to the train driver.

"In the engine there's a box that signals the engine to stop. If this warning is given to the driver at least three kilometres before the train reaches the spot where elephants are expected to come in their way, he applies the breaks and slowly comes to a halt," Kar explained.

"The success of this preventive measure depends on detecting the elephants much before the train is there. Three kilometres before roughly translates to 3-4 minutes before," he added.

The various sensors in the device corroborate whether the moving animals are indeed elephants and not any other, like a tiger, which can cross the track without needing the train to be slowed down.

"A vibration detector, capturing heat rays coming from the animals, a camera to recognise the animals, and lasers -- the sensor has these all. So we have several sensors to detect the presence of animals. We use one sensor to check the outcome of the other sensor to corroborate the result... We have our own radio network with the sensors," Kar said.

Although Kar has been working on the device since 2008, things picked up pace only in 2014 when the Railways came up with Rs 30 lakh in funding.

On its part, the Railways have employed a variety of methods to keep the elephant deaths in check.

"Various measures have been adopted, jointly by the Railways and the forest department, to prevent elephant deaths on the tracks. These include signage on the tracks to pre-warn train drivers, speed restrictions in elephant corridors and deputing forest officials in the control room," a senior Railways official told IANS.

"All these measures are adopted at locations jointly identified by the forest department and railways in Assam, West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Kerala and Odisha," the official added.

(Vishal Narayan can be contacted at vishal.n@ians.in )

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Rising jumbo death sets alarm bell ringing in Odisha

Bhubaneshwar, Nov 18: Odisha's failure in restoring elephants, encroachment of the elephant corridors, electrocution, unidentified diseases and accidents is leading to higher elephant casualties. Since the elephant is a long range animal and travels vast distances in search of food and water,the forested links between reserves and sanctuaries called corridors had come under tremendous pressure. Seven elephants died due to electrocution on October 26, after coming in contact with a low-hanging 11 KV power line. The seven deaths in one incident was Odisha's worst pachyderm tragedy through electrocution. The biggest elephant tragedy in the state earlier was reported in December 2012 when six elephants were killed after hit by a speeding express train in Ganjam district. In April this year, four elephants were hit by a speeding train in Jharsuguda district.
What statistics say Data from the environment ministry shows that 655 elephant deaths took place in India from 2009 to 2017. The statistics provided by the same department brings out that during the last six years (2011-12 to 2016-17), 435 elephants have died in the State. So on an average every year, 73 elephants are dying. Out of total death of 435 elephants, deaths due to diseases (125), natural process (65) and unknown reasons (85) altogether account for 275 elephants over six years. These deaths are due to reasons that the Forest department did not have much control over. But, during this period, 51 elephants have died due to different accidents, two for road accidents, 15 due to train accidents, and 56, the highest number, due to electrocution. These add up to 124, a whopping 28 per cent of the total elephant casualties in the State, which took place due to accidents that could have been prevented with better management and coordination. Other than these, 28 elephants have fallen to the bullet of the hunters and 8 have been poisoned. Here too the responsibility squarely comes to the Forest department. Also Read |Odisha lost 179 elephants to electrocution since 2000 Odisha accounting for 90 out of nearly 460 electrocution deaths across the country since 2010, the state merits the status of India's "elephant graveyard". At 106, Karnataka recorded more deaths, but Karnataka's jumbo population (6,049) is over thrice that of Odisha (1,976), as per the Centre's 2017 census. The rate of elephant deaths which was 32 per year during 1990-2003, increased to 56 per year during 2003-2008 in the state.

Maneka Gandhi raises concern Expressing her ‘grief and horror' at the elephant deaths in Odisha, Union Minister of Women & Child Development, Maneka Gandhi, has urged Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to take urgent measures to stop elephant deaths in Odisha. "The recent electrocution of seven tuskers in Dhenkanal, which is the highest such death toll in a single incident, has caused furore throughout the nation about the reprehensible state of elephant protection in Odisha," Maneka wrote.

"It comes at the back of dismal statistics wherein 124 or a whopping 28 per cent casualties have taken place due to accidents and electrocution. It is tragic to note that a dozen magnificent pachyderms are dying every year due to mismanagement and incoordination between government agencies," Maneka added.

Power supply cut The Energy Department on Friday asked Central Electricity Supply Utility (CESU) to shut down power in the elephant corridors and forest areas across State during movement of jumbos or any other wildlife. The direction came a day after Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik asked the Department to take adequate measures by November end to curb electrocution deaths of elephants and other wildlife in the forest areas. As per Rule 58 of the Central Electricity Authority's Regulations 2010, no overhead line, should be at a height less than 4.6 metres for lines up to 11,000 volts. The height of an Indian elephant is 2.40-2.75 metres (at the shoulder) and adherence to the regulation could have prevented the death of seven elephants.

Where the state failed? A major reason which has resulted in unabated conflict and death of precious wildlife in Odisha is its political leadership's lack of intent to save the situation. Had the Ministry and State taken cognisance of the committee report in 2010, many of the electrocution deaths of the past five years could have been avoided. Increasing patrolling during the harvest season, strengthening and maintaining a minimal ground-clearance level for power lines, fitting spikes on to electric poles, removing defunct solar fencing, directing electric companies to fix circuit breakers, providing compensation for crop depredation by wild elephants and prosecuting farmers who install illegal electric fences, were some of the simple steps that should have been immediately taken.

The tragic, anguished deaths of these elephants, a species hailed as India's National Heritage Animal, must urgently be addressed. Odisha's wild elephants need security from at least electrocution, if not from the many other difficulties that assail their kind.

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Maneka Gandhi calls for urgent measures to arrest elephant deaths in Odisha

New Delhi: Expressing “grief and horror” at the recent electrocution of
seven elephants in Odisha, Union women and child development minister

Maneka Gandhi has written to Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik to
intervene with “urgent and resolute measures to arrest elephant deaths” in the state.

Gandhi goes on to say that the recent electrocution of seven tuskers in
Dhenkanal, which is the highest such death-toll in a single incident, has
caused furore throughout the nation about the reprehensible state of elephant protection in Odisha.

The WCD minister points that this comes at the back of dismal statistics
wherein it is learned over 435 elephants have died in the state since 2011-17, out of which 124 or a whopping 28 percent
casualties have taken place due to accidents and electrocution. “It is tragic to note that a dozen magnificent pachyderms are
dying every year due to mismanagement and incoordination between government agencies,” Gandhi added “What is more disappointing is that this alarming trend of preventable elephant deaths in Odisha has continued unabated even
after the AK Biswal committee established by the ministry of environment and forests, in 2010, had laid down clear guidelines for mandatory protection system, regular inspection of electrical distribution networks by the electrical inspectorate and forest department officials,” she has pointed out in the letter.

“In a case of morbid déjà vu, the committee had also reprimanded four power distribution companies for not maintaining adequate pole to pole distance, thus causing sagging and non-maintenance of conductor height in forest and village areas – the same blunder which claimed the life of seven elephants in Dhenkanal last month,” Gandhi has stated.

She goes on to point that “it is clear from the current state of affairs that the AK Biswal committee recommendations have not been followed and there are rampant reports of distribution companies being given a free hand in elephant corridors without necessary oversight.” She has urged the Odisha CM to take necessary action against the officials who failed to put the AK Biswal committee recommendations in to practice in the state.

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Stop Rampant Flouting Of Rules, Save Elephants, Maneka Writes To Naveen

New Delhi: Expressing her ‘grief and horror’ at the elephant deaths in Odisha, Union Minister of Women & Child Development, Maneka Gandhi, has urged Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to take urgent measures to stop elephant deaths in Odisha.

“The recent electrocution of seven tuskers in Dhenkanal, which is the highest such death toll in a single incident, has caused furore throughout the nation about the reprehensible state of elephant protection in Odisha,” Maneka wrote.

“It comes at the back of dismal statistics wherein 124 or a whopping 28 per cent casualties have taken place due to accidents and electrocution. It is tragic to note that a dozen magnificent pachyderms are dying every year due to mismanagement and incoordination between government agencies,” Maneka added.

Citing reports, she alleged that distribution companies are being given a free hand in elephant corridors without necessary oversight.

In the letter, the Union Minister also mentioned that the National Green Tribunal has imposed a fine Rs 1 crore on CESU while a probe has been launched into the Dhenkanal incident.

Expressing her disappointment on the elephants’ death, the Union Minister said that even after laying guidelines under the Shri A K Biswal committee by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, the alarming trend of elephant deaths has continued unabated.

“I also urge you to take necessary action against the officials who failed to put the A K Biswal Committee recommendations into practice in the State,” Gandhi wrote.

Terming the elephants of Odisha as ‘the pride of India’, she wrote, “We owe a debt to our future generations for their welfare and safety.”

On October 22, seven elephants had died due to electrocution under Dhenkanal Sadar forest range. Similarly, on September 5, two elephants had died after being electrocuted in Jajpur district.

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Elephant Deaths In Odisha: Maneka Urges CM Naveen To Take Measures

New Delhi: Expressing grief over the elephant deaths in Odisha, Union Minister of Women & Child Development, Maneka Gandhi, has urged Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to take urgent measures for the safety and welfare of the pachyderms.

In a letter to the Odisha CM, Maneka wrote: “The recent electrocution of seven tuskers in Dhenkanal, which is the highest such death toll in a single incident, has caused furore throughout the nation about the reprehensible state of elephant protection in Odisha.”

“It comes at the back of dismal statistics wherein 124 or a whopping 28 per cent casualty has taken place due to accidents and electrocution. It is tragic to note that a dozen magnificent pachyderms are dying every year due to mismanagement and in coordination between government agencies,” Maneka added.

The Union Minister while citing reports alleged that distribution companies are being given a free hand in elephant corridors without necessary oversight.

In the letter, the Maneka also mentioned that the National Green Tribunal has imposed a fine Rs 1 crore on CESU while a probe has been launched into the Dhenkanal incident.

Expressing her disappointment on the elephants’ death, the Union Minister said that even after laying guidelines under the AK Biswal committee by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, the alarming trend of elephant deaths goes unabated.

“I also urge you to take necessary action against the officials who failed to put the AK Biswal Committee recommendations into practice in the State,” Maneka wrote.

Terming the elephants of Odisha as ‘the pride of India’, she wrote, “We owe a debt to our future generations for their welfare and safety.”

On October 22, seven elephants had died due to electrocution under Dhenkanal Sadar forest range. Similarly, on September 5, two elephants had died after being electrocuted in Jajpur district.

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Forest dept to explore tech use to prevent jumbo deaths

Kolkata: Concerned over the death of elephants, particularly on the railway tracks in North Bengal, the state Forest department will hold a workshop at Chalsa on November 16 and 17, to explore technology that can be adopted to prevent such deaths. "There are a number of technologies that are presently available to track the movement of jumbos in the forest areas. But calibrating them has been the challenge. The workshop will deliberate upon and showcase the various technologies and at the same time, there will be demonstrations on the calibration aspect too," said Ravi Kant Sinha, the chief wildlife warden of the state.

It may be mentioned that IIT Delhi has come up with a seismic sensor technology that will give a vibratory signal about the pachyderms' movement near rail tracks, once fitted. A message would be sent to the nearest station master and the driver of trains about to pass through the area, so that they remain alert.

"There are some other technologies involving CCTV surveillance and sending alerts through SMS to the train driver that will be showcased at the two day workshop," added Sinha. The railway tracks between Siliguri and Alipurduar, stretching close to 165 km, have witnessed more than 60 elephants being killed by trains since 2004. The tracks pass through several forest areas, including the Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary, Jaldapara National Park and Buxa Tiger Reserve. The conference is being organised by the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and the state Forest department. Senior officials from National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) will also be present at the two day conference, along with representatives of Railways, the Wildlife Institute of India, NGOs and local communities. "There have been a handful of elephant deaths on national highways as well. We want to have a comprehensive technological use to curb jumbo deaths. So, we are involving every single stakeholder," a senior official of the state Forest department said. Prodded by the Supreme Court to curb the death of elephants on railway tracks and by electrocution, it was 2013 when the ministry of Environment and Forests had proposed the use of technology. A pilot project to test the sensors is underway at the Rajaji National Park near Dehradun. The issue of the death of the pachyderms has come up for discussion in several meetings between the state government and the Railways in particular. The South Eastern Railway has plans to restrict the speed of trains from 7 pm till 5 am in the morning at 70 km per hour in Kharagpur and Adra division that covers forest areas of Purulia, West Midnapore and Jhargram.

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Jumbo sensors to check track deaths

Sensors designed by IIT Delhi to help track the movement of elephants near railway tracks and minimise chances of accidents will be among the talking points of a wildlife conference to be held in north Bengal’s Chalsa on November 16 and 17.

The conference is aimed at finding ways to use technology to prevent the death of wild animals on railway tracks and mitigate man-animal conflicts.

“When fitted to railway tracks, the sensors would track visuals, movement, sound, lights and other parameters before corroborating the inputs and feeding them into an automated algorithm,” said Subrat Kar, professor of electrical engineering at IIT Delhi.

“The algorithm would then decide if an elephant or a herd was near the tracks. A message would be sent to the nearest station master and the driver of trains about to pass through the area,” said Kar, who will explain how the sensors work at the conference.

The conference is being organised by the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, and the Bengal forest department. Raman Sukumar, elephant expert and professor at IISc, will be present along with representatives of railways, the Wildlife Institute of India, NGOs and local communities.

The conference will also be attended by representatives of the Ear to the Wild Foundation, which promotes wildlife conservation through technology. The foundation is slated to give a presentation on acoustic sensors that can detect social calls produced by elephants.

In 2013, the ministry of environment and forests had proposed the use of technology after a nudge from the Supreme Court, which was hearing a PIL to curb elephant deaths on tracks and by electrocution. The project began at IIT Delhi after that.

A pilot project to test the sensors is underway at the Rajaji National Park near Dehradun.

The railway tracks between Siliguri and Alipurduar, stretching close to 165km, have seen more than 60 elephants being killed by trains since 2004, said Animesh Bose of the Himalayan Nature and Adventure Foundation.

The tracks pass through several forest areas, including the Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary, Jaldapara National Park and Buxa Tiger Reserve. Almost the entire stretch is accident-prone for elephants.

“The most number of deaths have been caused by freight trains. In the past, deaths have also been reported from non-forested areas such as tea gardens and railway bridges,” Bose said.

The apex court earlier asked the railways to reduce the speed of trains running through elephant corridors. But railway officials have complained that reduction in speed affects punctuality of trains. “It also has a cost implication, which is why we don’t depend on a single indicator that can make a mistake. The idea is to be sure about the presence of elephants before relaying the message to the railways” said Kar of IIT Delhi.

Ravi Kant Sinha, the chief wildlife warden of the state, said the sensors will be have to be field-tested to check their efficiency. “Technology is readily available but the challenge is to calibrate them,” he said. Similar sensors have been designed in the past but have failed the calibration tests, he said.

Sinha said whether the sensors would be installed in north Bengal only if it was suitable to the needs.

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Elephant Deaths in Karnataka: Jumbo Hazards

Forty-year-old Ranga was crossing the road near the Mathigodu Elephant Camp in the Nagarhole Na­tional Park in Karnataka’s Kodagu district in the early hours of October 8 when a private bus, bound for Bengaluru from Kerala on NH 766 (that cuts through the Nilgiris biosphere reserve in the Western Ghats abutting the three southern states of Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu) knocked him down. He died instantly.

The death of Ranga, a tusker, has not only banded the wildlife activists and conservationists to press for stringent punishment under the law but also strengthened Karnataka’s case before the courts for an even tighter clampdown on the movement of vehicles along forest roads, especially at night. While the bus involved in the accident has been seized and a complaint lodged against the driver under the Wildlife Protection Act, there is a feeling among wildlife activists that Karnataka needs to do more to secure the wildlife habitat and aggressively clamp down on potential road kills.

Ranga was a wild bull first found in the Bannerghatta National Park area, near Bengaluru. He had also earned some notoriety for raiding a few crop settlements around the region before the forest officials detained him for training at an elephant camp to be part of the 2019 Mysore carnival—the Mysore dasara festival.

Ranga belonged to the family of Asian elephants, listed as an endangered species by the International Union for Con­servation of Nature (IUCN), whose num­bers have rapidly declined over the years due to a combination of government apathy, heightened poaching, and, now, becoming unsuspecting victims of road and train accidents. Just last year, railway lines crossing elephant habitats in India led to over 200 elephant deaths. With this, India accounts for the largest number of train accidents involving elephants in the world.

In January 2009, a forest officer in Karnataka’s Chamarajanagar district, once notorious for being the camping ground of the forest brigand and elephant poacher Veerappan, raised the red flag first after he counted more than 30 vehicles plying every hour round-the-clock along the highways in the highly sensitive wildlife habitat areas. He brought this to the notice of the district collector who promptly clam­ped a night traffic ban on June 3, 2009, in one of the most critical habitats for elephants, under Section 115 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.

Later succumbing to the pressure from some groups, including politicians from Kerala, Karnataka recalled the ban on June 10, 2009. A PIL was later filed in the Karnataka High Court and on July 28, 2009, a division bench comprising the then chief justice, PD Dinakaran, and Justice VG Sabhahit in an interim order stayed the June 10 order to withdraw the ban on vehicular movement. Pressure groups on both sides—the transport lobby that argued for free vehicular movement on forest roads and wildlife lovers who wanted a total ban—besieged the Karnataka High Court with writ petitions. The Karnataka Forest Department, nature lovers and wildlife enthusiasts got a shot in the arm when the Court ruled in their favour.

Kerala’s plea in August 2009 for lifting the ban on night traffic through the Bandipur National Park in Chamarajanagar district was rejected in March 2010 by a division bench comprising Justice V Gopala Gowda and Justice BS Patil. Kerala had argued that transporters had to choose alternative roads and this entailed more time and cost. While one of the roads passing through the Park—National Highway 212—is from Mysore to Kalpetta via Sultan Bathery, the other, National Highway 67, is from Mysore to Gundlupet. Kerala even brought up the subject of vegetable supply in its defence when it told the Court that people around Wayanad got their daily supply of vegetables from Gundlupet and adjoining areas in Kar­nataka and these were transported at night. The ban had affected the supply of vegetables, it said.

At one point, a representative from the Ministry of Surface Transport, which has the National Highways Authority of India under it, even argued against the Chamarajanagar district collector’s night traffic ban order, saying that the control of national highways vests with it under the National High­ways (Land and Traffic) Act, 2002. However, the bench, instead, threw its weight behind the flora and fauna of the area after watching a detailed video presentation from the forest department that flagged the danger from the rush of vehicles. The National Wildlife Action Plan 2002-16 also provided for certain restrictions on roads in the jungle.

Meanwhile, Special Leave Petitions were filed in the Supreme Court by the affected parties from Kerala to reconsider the night traffic ban. The petitioners included the Kerala government, the Nilgiri-Wayanad National Highway, Railway Action Council and the Ooty Hotel Owners Association. In January this year, the Supreme Court constituted a five-member committee representing the centre and the three southern states. The committee, after extensive field visits and interviews with locals, recommended that the status quo be maintained for the time being. The committee, with members from Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and the secretaries of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change as well as the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, was asked to work on an alternative to the restrictions imposed on the highway running through these forest areas.

The Supreme Court observed that the committee should not only keep in mind the convenience of the people living around the forest areas but also ensure that the original inhabitants in one of the world’s most eco-sensitive critical habitats are not disturbed by noise, honking and screeching of tyres.

A Karnataka minister’s casual comment that elevated roads through the national park could be one alternative forced a slew of online petitions that went viral. These hit out against the HD Kumaraswamy-led JD (S)-Congress coalition government in Karnataka. Kumaraswamy himself applied the brakes by saying that the 9 pm to 6 am night-time ban on vehicle movement in Bandipur would continue. To cement his support to the green cause, his office followed up with the statement that the idea of an elevated road in this area (Bandipur) was not feasible.

Just a few weeks before that, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways had sent a note to the state chief secretary seeking the state’s nod for lifting the night traffic ban and approval for a project to construct elevated roads or bio-flyovers on NH 212.

Kumaraswamy went to the extent of demanding a night traffic ban for wild­life areas across the state, even beyond the protected areas. “I feel there should be no plying of vehicles during night time in wildlife areas,” he said in a statement.

The ban on traffic from 9 pm to 6 am in Bandipur Tiger Reserve has become a bone of contention between Karnataka and Kerala. Karna­taka has so far resisted pressure from different lobbies. The nine-hour ban on NH 212 was imposed by the Karnataka High Court on March 9, 2010.

Wildlife conservationists have called upon the state government to take im­mediate measures to prevent continuing wildlife deaths on the Kannur-Mysuru inter-state highway that traverses al­most 12 km through the Nagarhole Tiger Reserve. The highway stretch is a significant threat to wildlife and most commercial drivers drive recklessly. Although the speed limit is 30 kmph on this stretch, nobody follows it and so a night traffic ban should be enforced, they argue.

Ranga’s untimely death has also increased the call to shift the eight elephant camps run by the forest department outside the tiger reserves and national parks. The state has more than 100 elephants in captivity spread across the camps, most of them in the critical wildlife habitats. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) found that most state transport buses that were allowed to ply in the night were only 50 percent full. Even accident rates had fallen by half due to the ban.

“Any highway expansion inside the forest area will mean a death warrant for the wildlife,” says Prem Mitra, chairman of green conservation group A Rocha, which has done a lot of work on the ecology of the Asian elephant and elephant-human conflicts in the state. “Tusker Ranga’s death could have been avoided if the ban had been implemented in right earnest,” he adds and points out that the government must put up speed-breakers and effective signage and aggressively campaign for wildlife conservation measures.

The apex court at one point had directed Karnataka and Kerala to sit across the table and sort out the issues by arriving at a consensus. But the two could not come to a meeting point. The Court had planned to hear the case again in January 2016 but it was postponed after the counsel for Kerala, Gopal Subramanium, informed the apex court that his state government would go for an amicable solution that does not disturb the environment or wildlife movement. Kerala is still hopeful that the apex court will come to its rescue—four days before Ranga’s death on the forest road, it sought the highest court’s help to lift the ban on night traffic, at least for six months, citing flood havoc.

With pressure from so many lobbies choking critical wildlife habitats, it seems like a long road to nowhere for the inhabitants of the jungle.

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