Man-jumbo conflict rises in Assam

Guwahati: Wild elephants have trampled to death 149 people and damaged 1,880 hectares of crops in Assam in the past two years.

Environment and forest minister Pramila Rani Brahma told the Assembly on Thursday that 92 people died and 56 were injured in 2016-17 while 57 died and 19 were injured in 2017-18 in man-elephant conflict in the state.

Replying to a question by BJP legislator Ranoj Pegu, Brahma said elephants destroyed 634.6 hectares of agricultural land, affecting 1,208 families, in 2016-17. The figure rose to 1,246.1 hectares, affecting 2,194 families, in 2017-18. Altogether 3,546 houses - 1,752 in 2016-17 and 1,794 in 2017-18 - were damaged because of elephant depredation.

Two elephants were poisoned to death and one died of deliberate electrocution in 2016-17 while eight died of poisoning the next year, she said.

Pegu expressed concern over the man-elephant conflict that, he said, had assumed serious proportions in Dhemaji, Majuli, Jorhat, Golaghat, Sivasagar, Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts.

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Help of Karnataka staff sought for taming of wild elephants in

Mumbai, Mar 16 (PTI) Admitting that wild elephants were causing damage to crops and human life in Kolhapur district in Maharashtra, the state government today said that assistance of trained people�from Karnataka has been sought to tame and train such tuskers.

Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar made the announcement in the state Legislative Assembly during a debate on the issue raised through calling attention notice moved by NCP member Sandhya Kupekar and others.

Mungantiwar said the authorities in Karnataka have conveyed that they would be able to spare their trained staff only after May-June.

"They have said they are busy tackling wild elephants in their areas now and hence we would have to wait till then," the minister said.

NCP MLA Jayant Patil suggested that the government sends its forest personnel to Karnataka and get training in handling of wild elephants.

The minister said the suggestion would be considered.

Mungantiwar also announced setting up of a committee comprising Kupekar, Shiv Senas Prakash Abitkar and the Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF) to suggest recommendations to tackle the menace of wild elephants and bisons.

"We expect the committee to give their recommendations in a months time," he said.

During the discussion, Ambitkar suggested setting up of a task force to deal with the menace of wild elephants.

He pointed out that Radhanagari, Bhudargad, Ajara talukas are near the forest areas and hence loss of life and crops due to wild elephants is more.

Mungantiwar said till March 8 (2018), the government received 2,025 claims of crop loss due to wild bisons and 393 cases of crop loss due to wild elephants.The farmers concerned have been given a compensation of Rs 126.47 lakh so far, he said adding, "In the last ten years, 20 persons died in the attacks by wild elephants and compensation of Rs 56.5 lakh has been given to their kin."

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Jumbo scare in Mayurbhanj

Baripada: Residents of Mayurbhanj district and wildlife personnel are spending sleepless nights because of jumbo menace.

Several herds of elephant have been wrecking havoc in Rairangpur for more than two weeks. If this was not enough, a tusker has added to the worry of the Baripada wildlife division for about a week.

The marauding jumbos besides raiding agriculture fields are also damaging houses and other establishments. In a desperate attempt to save their crop, the villagers are staying up throughout the night to ward off any jumbo attack.

Rairangpur divisional forest officer Kalunge Gorakh Waman said: "Two herds consisting of 24 elephants are moving in the area. A herd of 17 elephants, including one tusker are in Gorumahisani, and another seven are in Bisoi. But, they have not caused any causalities and efforts are on to chase them out."

In another development, a tusker, supposedly a member of a big jumbo herd residing close to Odisha-Bengal border, has sneaked into the state. The tusker, besides ravaging paddy fields, also damaged houses and an anganwadi centre. The tusker was spotted in Phalajhari forest under Betnati range on Thursday night.

"Around 120 elephants in different groups are moving in Chulunda forests under Chandbill range of Bengal about 5km from Odisha border. While a tusker got detached from the herd and has entered our area," said Deuli forest range officer Rabindra Mohanty.

Baripada divisional forest officer Swayam Mallick said: " The movement of elephants is being closely monitored."

"Our departmental personnel have been asked to follow the standard operating procedure to contain the menace and prevent loss of humans and wildlife," he said.

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Elephants damage paddy crop in Odisha villages

A herd of seven elephants has damaged standing paddy crop in a number of villages in Gajapati district of Odisha.

Forest officials have been asked to assess the loss of the affected farmers, Gajapati district collector Sudhansu Mohan Samal said.

The herd strayed into the villages under Goshani block near Paralakhemundi yesterday and it might have migrated from Lakhari elephant reserve via Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh, Divisional Forest Officer, Berhampur, A K Behera, who is also the in-charge of Paralakhemundi Forest Divicion said.

The jumbos did not cause any loss to life, he said.

"The farmers will be compensated in accordance with government provision," the district collector said.

The DFO said forest personnel were keeping a strict vigil on the movement of the herd, he said. PTI COR SKN MM LNS

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Wild elephants destroy crops in Kuppam segment

Tirupati: A herd of six wild elephants have destroyed the standing crops in several villages of Kuppam Assembly constituency, represented by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. On Saturday night (November 26) and Sunday morning (November 27), wild elephants have damaged paddy, banana, tomato and other crops in the villages of Attinattam and Gudivanka of Gudupalle mandal.

Even, the tuskers did not spare electric motors also. The last time the elephants were spotted at Santhipuram mandal on July 15. This time, they strayed into human habitations from Karnataka and damaged the crops in between Kuppam and KGF district, the AP-Karnataka borders. On receiving information, the officials of the Forest department have deployed 10 elephant trackers to divert the attention of wild jumbos destroying crops.

According to sources in the Forest department, herd of elephants strayed into human habitations of Krishnagiri district in Tamil Nadu from Maharakadai Reserve Forest to eat tamarind crop every year during the months of November, December and January. Some tuskers instead of entering into Krishnagiri district are straying into Bhiyamkonda hillock areas of Kuppam Assembly constituency.

Speaking to The Hans India, Kuppam Forest Range Officer Kallappa Naidu said elephants were found 3 km from Attinattam village in Gudupalle mandal. “Our trackers are striving hard to divert the attention of elephants from AP villages by beating drums and bursting the crackers,” he added.

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Wild elephants help Swachh Bharat cause in Bengal, force villagers to build toilets...

Summary: The department wants to complete the project in three years, which, it hopes will help elephants remain confined to forest areas. People scampering indoors have, in turn, helped reduce the number of casualties in elephant attacks in south Bengal. The number of people killed in elephant attacks in south Bengal have come down from 32 in 2016 to a mere six this year so far. The frequent deaths prompted many to build toilets in their homes,” said Rabindranath Saha, district forest officer of Midnapore division. The forest department has also installed solar lights in vulnerable areas so that people can spot the elephants from a distance and save themselves.

Elephants have achieved what the combined might of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Mamata Banerjee could not. Frequent advertisements and intensive campaigns on Swachh Bharat and its Bengal equivalent, Nirmal Bangla, could not convince many to relieve themselves behind closed doors but fear of elephant attacks has driven them away from the fields and open, especially in the districts of West Midnapore, Bankura and Jhargram, forest officers told HT. People scampering indoors have, in turn, helped reduce the number of casualties in elephant attacks in south Bengal. The number of people killed in elephant attacks in south Bengal have come down from 32 in 2016 to a mere six this year so far. Read: Tackling man-animal conflict: Bengal govt plans elephant museum “Many people died in elephant attacks when they went to forests early in the morning or after sunset to respond to the call of nature. The frequent deaths prompted many to build toilets in their homes,” said Rabindranath Saha, district forest officer of Midnapore division. The forest department, too, built a few community toilets , As Reported By Hindustan Times.

According to the Newspaper,“In our area, we constructed more than 10 community toilets at strategic points. We are also building toilets in some houses. We have a number of such proposals at hand,” Saha added. Every year, herds of elephants from Dolma range of hills in Jharkhand come to Bengal and roam around in these districts destroying life, crop and property. Bengal has not implemented Swachh Bharat and has its own Nirmal Bangla (clean Brngal) equivalent.

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Success in jumbo tracking

The state forest department's decision to introduce global positioning systems (GPS) to track elephants and curb the jumbo menace near human habitations in the forest division has started to yield dividends.

"The GPS trackers introduced in the division's seven elephant-interference-prone forest ranges have achieved a certain degree of success in tackling man-elephant conflict," said Keonjhar's divisional forest officer Santosh Joshi.

"Villages under the forested areas of Keonjhar, Bhuyan-Juanga-Pidha, Telkio, Ghatgaon, Patna, Champua and Barbil have borne the brunt of elephant depredation over the past few months. Locating the animals was important to drive then away from the forest-side villages. After deliberations with elephant experts, we resorted to the GPS tracking, and it is paying dividends," he said.

Nearly 230 contractual employees, with the assistance of forest officials, are keeping 24x7 watch in batches on the movement of the elephants armed with GPS. Once the elephants are tracked, their location is transmitted to the district control room, which then alerts the patrolling team nearby to drive them away from human habitations, Joshi said.

Technology has made tracking movements of wild elephants and their corridors easier, he said.

Five people have died, while 30 others suffered injuries in elephant attacks since January. Over 100 houses have been damaged by herds, while the extent of damage caused to farmland is yet be assessed, said a forest official.

The GPS-tracking teams spotted 85 elephants on Thursday night. The Champua forest range, which is the worst-hit, recorded 28 jumbos.

Of the 85 elephants tracked, around 20 came from forested areas in Jharkhand and Bengal. Patrolling squads have stepped up watch in those areas to curb possible outbreaks of man-elephant conflict. An official said there have been no reports of elephants causing damage to life and property in the past week.

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Human-Elephant Conflict Renders 21 Families Homeless

In another instance of Human-Elephant Conflict, a herd of elephants has entered and damaged parts of the village of Raitrai, Dharamjaigarh, over the past 14 days. The herd destroyed 17 homes in its wake rendering 21 families homeless.

The tiny hamlet has temporarily relocated itself to the neighbouring village of Poriya Panchayat Bhavan. Every day the villagers traverse a kilometre and a half, back and forth from their their temporary settlement to their village, in order to repair their homes. While some brave the flooded Samarsuta river during the course of their journey, others, on days of severe flooding remain stranded, choosing to spend the night in their broken homes.

Sajal Madhu, Sanctuary’s Mud On Boots Project Leader was at the scene to understand the issue and assist the locals of Raitrai. The DFO Pranay Mishra was informed of the incident. Upon reaching the location, he spoke to the villagers and assured them compensation for their losses. Rice was distributed to the villagers as a form of immediate relief.

In light of the rising Human-Elephant Conflict, the villagers were briefed on handling situation arising with elephants in the future. They were given guidance on affectively minimising damage and staying safe. They were also cautioned of elephant behaviour — why elephants get agitated and the importance of never instigating an elephant or a herd.

Human-Elephant Conflict has steadily been on the rise in the state of Chhattisgarh, as human settlements increase, mining intensifies and forests are razed, changing the migratory and feeding patterns of elephants. Habitat destruction and fragmentation has forced huge herds of these otherwise gentle giants into human settlements. While corporate conglomerates plough the land, man and animal alike struggle to consolidate their space.

As of the present-day scenario, awareness campaigns have become imperative in order to apprise people of the situation and help create a deeper understanding of these majestic creatures and mitigate conflict.

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Villagers claim elephants from Nepal damaged crops, officials say no

Pilibhit: A herd of 30 to 35 elephants of Nepal’s Royal Shukla Phanta Wildlife Reserve strayed into Tatarganj village in Pilibhit district on Sunday afternoon and damaged standing paddy and sugarcane crops. Tatarganj, a remote village in trans-Sharda region, is located on the Indo-Nepal border.

However, both sub divisional magistrate, Puranpur circle, JB Singh, and the commandant of 49the battalion of SSB, Dilbag Singh, denied that the herd had caused extensive damage.

According to villagers — Kulwant Singh, Gurdeep Singh, Karnail Singh, Hardutt Singh and Santokh Singh — a herd of 30 to 35 elephants entered the Indian territory from Nepal and wreaked havoc on their standing cane and paddy crops across 25 acres. The herd also destroyed a thatched-roof house near the affected fields.

One of the residents, Kulwant Singh, alleged that forest staff of Sampurna Nagar forest range of district Kheri were informed about the marauding wild elephants but they extended no help to the villagers.

On being asked about this, commandant of SSB Dilbag Singh quoted the report sent to him by SSB border post personnel who said the herd of elephants had intruded into Tatarganj from near border pillar number 30 and damaged around 100 quintals of sugarcane. The herd retuned to Nepal after sometime, he said.

Sub divisional magistrate of Puranpur JB Singh also denied any damage to crops by elephants. He said, “I am returning from Tatrganj after inspecting the reported area. The villagers have fabricated a false story about massive damage to standing crops by the elephants with an intention of filing claims for compensation.

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Elephant Herd Kills 2 Women In Tikrikilla

Two women, Pongsai Rabha (65) and Hobisori Rabha (30), were trampled to death in Tikrikilla region of West Garo Hills when a herd of wild elephants rampaged through their home on Monday night, while a child sustained serious injuries and was rushed to the hospital for medical treatment.

The family was asleep in their home in Nayapara village of Pedaldoba when the wild herd entered the village in search of food and started destroying bamboo dwelling homes.

Elephants from neighbouring Assam and even Bangladesh annually cross over in search of food particularly during the harvest season, in the process destroying standing crops.

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