Ping! Elephants ahead: reducing human-elephant conflict, one SMS at a time

In India, few animals carry the kind of cultural symbolism like elephants do. Human-elephant interaction boasts a rich history dating back centuries. It is but natural that such a long association would also have encounters that do not end happily.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in Hassan in Karnataka, the state which is home to India’s largest population of Asian elephants. The Hassan region, however, has been beset by human-elephant conflicts for years wit But, thanks to resilient conservation efforts and smart application of technologh a number of these encounters resulting in fatalities.y in recent months, Hassan could soon be at peace with its elephants.

Hassan and nearby districts sit at the edges of India’s iconic Western Ghats, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and global biodiversity hotspot which accounts for about 60 percent of Karnataka’s forest area. A fertile landscape comprising fragmented forest patches, coffee plantations and paddy fields, Hassan offers a rich and conducive topographical mosaic for elephants, a habitat generalist species known for travelling long distances.

A recent scientific study, published in Tropical Conservation Science in December 2018, on 205 hamlets around Hassan found a peculiar pattern in elephant movement between 2015 and 2017. The paper observed that although the elephants’ numbers were equally distributed between northern and southern areas during their first year (2015-16), their movement was restricted in the second year of study (2016-17).

“Large-scale felling of trees in about 350 hectares of abandoned coffee estates in the central region of the study area and installation of solar fences around these areas restricted movement of elephants toward villages in northern part,” write the authors in the paper.

The barriers have significantly increased human-elephant conflicts as they forced elephants into roads or human settlements.

Jumbos on the move

Authorities and environmentalists had attempted other methods in Hassan from translocating rouge elephants to other areas and building fences, but without any improvement in the situation. Over the years, no less than 100 pachyderms have been captured and moved to other locations but the elephants kept returning. Foresters moved 22 elephants in 2014 alone, but they all made it back to the Hassan area within a short period of time.

At any given point, more than 60 elephants of three different herds roam the Hassan neighbourhood, making encounters with humans inevitable. Elephants use free-flowing travel routes and not strict, narrow areas, said Ananda Kumar, a scientist with the Mysuru-based Nature Conservation Foundation and one of the authors of the study, in an interview with Mongabay-India. For instance, elephants from Hassan could potentially mingle and breed with elephants from Nagarhole National Park and even far-off Coorg.

Also, they show a ‘rotating migration pattern’, he explained. When a herd of elephants is translocated away from the area – like when forest officials moved 22 elephants in 2014 – the herds were shortly replaced by another herd which migrated from farther areas.

Encounters of the Unfortunate Kind

A vast majority of elephant-provoked human casualties in Hassan territories – just like in many other elephant corridors in southern India – have been accidental encounters when victims were caught unaware of the animal’s presence in close proximity. Most elephant confrontations occur during the 6-10 AM and 4-8 PM time periods – when workers in coffee plantation and paddy fields are mobile. On an average, elephant-related incidents killed five people every year between 2010 and 2016 in districts surrounding Hassan.

In October 2017, forest authorities introduced a combined early-warning system of SMS alerts, automated voice calls and LED flash-lights at vital public places across the Hassan region. Forest authorities registered over 35,000 mobile numbers for the pre-warning SMS alert system, apart from several local WhatsApp groups. The alerts, in the local language, Kannada, are routinely sent in the mornings and evenings about the possible location of the jumbos, in addition to the warnings on unanticipated elephant presence. Additionally, up to 30 digital display boards in sensitive public junctions caution commuters of the movement of elephants.

The integrated system, which was a result of coordinated efforts by conservationists, government officials and the local community, aims to give just enough information without causing panic or inadvertently helping poachers with details like the strength of the elephant herd or its exact location.

Thanks to the endeavour, fatalities from elephant-human encounters have now been brought down to nearly zero, barring one or two events.

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Indian villagers chase rogue elephant with burning torches

Description
This is the shocking moment villagers chase a rogue elephant with burning torches.

The elephant was spotted entering a home in a village near Palamu in eastern India.

The villagers lit up torches and chased it, the elephant ran back to the forest.

Several villagers in Palamu have been complaining to forest officials to relocate an elephant herd which they say have been raiding them regularly.

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Farmers await compensation of crop loss by wildlife

Farmers are eagerly awaiting their crop compensation in villages falling in and around Palamu tiger reserve. Standing crop and harvested crop both are destroyed and damaged by herd of elephants. Standing crop is raided by herd of pachyderms in the fields while harvested crop stored in barns which are always open and vulnerable is also destroyed by elephants.

Sources said July to December every year is the vulnerable months of crop destruction by elephants. Betla and Garu ranges of Palamu tiger reserve are the most vulnerable ranges from the point of view of the elephant raiding and destroying crop. Bareysarn, Chhipadohar, Kutku and Mahuadarn ranges too are not free of the elephant menace.

Sources said the destruction of crop is done by two kinds of elephants. In Betla range it is PTR’s elephants that destroy the crop mostly.

It is true of Garu, Bareysarn ranges as well but there are instances where herd of Chhatisgarh elephants also has caused destruction of crop and houses in villages falling in and around PTR.

Sources said crop destruction and damages of houses/ huts by elephants go together in villages here in PTR.

Dr Mohan Lal field director PTR said, “PTR has received Rs 14 lakh this outgoing financial year for compensation purposes. Compensation comes for crop loss, hut loss and life loss. Even where wild life like elephant, bear, wild boar etc has maimed any one compensation is to be paid for it by way of providing the victim adequate treatment and for his upkeep till he is back to normality.”

A hectare loss of crop by wild life has 20,000 rupees as compensation. Similarly loss of cattle by wild life gets Rs 15,000 as compensatory amount.

The Field Director said, “I have asked our rangers to see that compensation is not made to linger. This causes resentment. This we have to dilute by all means.” Sources said PTR officials have paid compensation for crop loss episodes of the last financial year 2017 -18 in this financial year 2018 -19.

Asked that payment of compensation comes too late say by 6 to 9 months after the commission of destruction/ damage etc Lal said this year PTR has disbursed around Rs 6 lakhs as compensation.

38 farmers in Betla range have filed their petitions for compensation this year. Similarly Garu range which is split in two East range and West range has a total of 70 to 80 similar petitions of farmers for compensation. Bareysarn, Chhipadohar, Kutku and Mahuadarn ranges have in all less than two dozen petitions of farmers for compensation said sources.

Sources said compensation was paid in cash till now in PTR which from this year is to be credited into bank accounts of the victim farmers of PTR. Here there is one more twist. Compensation is given to those only in whose name the ‘ Lagan’ is paid and its payment receipt is up to date that is no back log of Lagan. But if the crop is of the share cropper read Bataidaar and not of the land owner then in that event compensation for crop loss or damage is not due to the share cropper.

It is upto the land owner to give the compensation to the share cropper.

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Elephants Enter Odisha Villages

There was panic in three Odisha districts when herds of elephants entered the villages damaging houses and crops on Sunday.

An elephant herd, believed to be comprising over 20 jumbos, wreaked havoc in Manijipur village under Kanas block of Puri district. They damaged crops stacked in the backyards. Puri hardly reports elephant depredation.

Police and forest department personnel are keeping a close watch on the movement of elephants as there is every chance of the animals straying into more thickly populated area.

Similarly, the residents of Baratuma, Rangamatia and Baradiha villages in Jaleswar area of Balasore district moved to safer places when a herd having more than 60 elephants entered their villages. As many as 12 houses were destroyed and a few acres of ready-to-harvest paddy was damaged.

Similar incidents were reported from Ghusura Gadhiali village of Sundargarh district. A woman was reportedly trampled to death in Keonjhar district.

Meanwhile, the carcass of an elephant was discovered at Nimakhandi village in Ganjam district on Sunday. Locals alleged that the elephant had marks of gunshots.

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On a rope and a prayer, escape from jumbos

Three night guards in a Dooars tea garden tied a rope to bamboo plants and clung on for over two hours, hanging above a 70ft-deep gorge, to escape from an elephant herd.

Binod Baraik, Bishnu Oraon and Jeevan Kharia said they didn’t lose hope in the biting cold and pitch-darkness when the animals stood on the edge of the gorge and threw mud on them on Saturday night.

The trio said it was the first-of-its-kind experience though elephants would often enter the Baradighi tea garden from the nearby forest in search of food. The guards were watering tea bushes on Saturday night and had finished the job close to midnight.

“We were taking rest in a tent that we had pitched at one end of the estate. There is a bamboo grove next to the tent and beyond that is a gorge, through which a stream passes. Binod and Bishnu were a bit asleep while I was awake,” said Jeevan.

Suddenly, Jeevan heard the sound of twigs and branches of trees being broken under some pressure. “I realised that an elephant herd was approaching. I immediately alerted the two,” he said.

The three came out of the tent and found that they were caught between the elephants and the gorge. “If one doesn’t want to jump into the gorge, he will have to run near the herd and try to dodge the animals. But there is always a risk that elephants will trample him upon or flung him on the ground with trunk,” said Bishnu.

The guards got hold of a long rope in the tent and girded themselves for the long battle. They fastened the rope to a bunch of bamboos and abseiled down the gorge one after another. “We remained silent and realised in a few minutes that three-four elephants were standing on the edge,” said Bishnu.

Other members of the herd were stomping on the tent and strewing the guards’ belongings. They damaged the water distribution pipes as well.

“The herd was probably in search of food. The elephants shrieked at regular intervals and sprinkled mud on the gorge as they stood on the edge. The dust fell on us. We didn’t give up hope and remained silent,” Bishnu said.

The herd was in the garden for over two hours. “It was an endless waiting. Although the weather was chilly, we were sweating. Our hands were slipping but we managed to hold each other. We said to each other that we would soon climb up,” said Jeevan.

When Binod, Bishnu and Jeevan were convinced that the elephants had left, they climbed up.

“Once we were up, we did not have the strength to walk. We laid on the ground for quite some time and then checked our belongings. Later, we realised that we had been hanging for around two-and-a-half hours. Luckily, the herd didn’t find the rope that was fastened to the bamboos,” said Bishnu.

The herd, sources said, had entered the garden from the adjoining Lataguri forest. It returned to the forest soon.

The trio returned to their quarters after the day-break.

“Our family members were surprised to see us shivering in cold with dust all over the body. They were astonished to hear our ordeal and how we managed to escape from the elephants,” said Jeevan.

Foresters were informed about the incident on Sunday.

“We came to know how the guards had saved themselves. We will start patrolling the garden,” said Samir Sikdar, the Gorumara north range officer.

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Farmer trampled to death

A farmer has been trampled to death by elephants in Ramgarh district, a senior Forest department official said on Tuesday. Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Vijay Shankar Dubey said that a herd of three elephants entered Kulhi village on Monday night and trampled 45-year-old Manilal Mahto. Mahto was sleeping in a hut in his agriculture field to guard tomatoes from theft when the elephants attacked him. As per government provision Rs 30,000 was given to the family members of the deceased, the DFO said. (PTI)

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Rescued elephant reunites with herd in Jharkhand

Ramgarh (Jharkhand), Dec 10 (PTI) An elephant, which fell into a 20-feet well at Gosi village in Ramgarh district, was rescued on Monday, a forest officer said.

The pachyderm fell into the well on Sunday night when a herd of elephants raided Gosi village, about 40 km away from Ramgarh district headquarters, the officer said, adding, the elephant also joined its herd once it was rescued.

The rescue operation which started in the morning, ended around noon and an earth-mover machine was used in the exercise, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Vijay Shankar Dubey said.

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Panic as elephant herd raids Somayampalayam village

Coimbatore: While they are struggling to keep two wild elephants off the villages on the Thadagam Valley, a herd of elephants that raided Somayampalayam on Saturday is posing a new challenge to the forest department.

Somayampalayam residents had spotted the herd, consisting of 12 elephants, among the thorny bushes of the village boundary on Friday night. They immediately informed the forest department. A team consisting of anti-poaching watchers (APWs) and rapid response team (RRT) reached the spot, but decided not to disturb the animals as it was too late.

The team began to chase the herd away from the village to the reserve forest on Saturday morning by bursting crackers. But instead of running to the forest, the herd entered the agricultural fields, as villagers from Somayampalayam and surrounding areas watched in disbelief.

The team, led by range officer Suresh, managed to drive the elephants back to the forest around 7pm. “We spent the entire day to chase away the elephants to the reserve forest,” he told TOI.
The department has deployed a team at Somayampalayam to monitor the movement of wild elephants. It has requested the villagers not to venture out of their houses at night.

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Three kumkis shifted to Periyathadagam

Surveillance stepped up to monitor wild elephants
The Forest Department on Tuesday shifted the three kumkis from Varapalayam area to Periyathadagam to step up surveillance and monitor wild elephants.

The kumkis - Cheran, Vijay and Bomman - were taken to Periyathadagam on Tuesday afternoon to prevent the wild elephants from straying out of forest.

Sources in Varapalayam said that the Forest Department shifted the kumkis to Periyathadagam after Chinna Thambi, one of the elephants which the department has plans to capture and translocate from Thadagam valley, moved to the area with a herd on Tuesday.

A female elephant with its calf, which had attacked people on several occasions, also moved to Periyathadagam, added sources.

An official from the Forest Department said that Ajay Desai, a consultant for the World Wildlife Fund and member of Asian elephants specialist group of International Union for Conservation of Nature, visited the human-elephant conflict areas on Tuesday.

The department had sought expert opinion from Mr. Desai to mitigate the conflict situation.

Meanwhile, Vinayagan, another wild elephant likely to be captured and translocated from Thadagam, moved to Mel Maruthungarai and Keel Maruthungarai area. The giant tusker is said to be in musth.

Assistant Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Deepak Srivastava on Sunday had assured farmers that one of the wild elephants that was entering human habitations would be captured within a week.

The Forest Department has plans to bring one or two kumkis from Mudumalai Tiger Reserve to Thadagam for the capture and translocation of wild elephants.

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A small-town businessman’s quest to protect India’s elephants, one photo at a time

On a winter morning last year, the photographer Biplab Hazra watched as, one by one, a herd of elephants tried to cross a railway track in the town of Bishnupur in West Bengal’s Bankura district. Among them was a calf perched at the edge of the high railway platform, built in the middle of an elephant corridor, struggling to get down.

Hazra’s poignant photograph of that moment won him a certificate of merit in this year’s Sanctuary Asia Wildlife Photography awards. And it comes just a year after his striking photograph of elephants in the same district fleeing from fireballs thrown by villagers went viral around the world. In 2017, Hazra, who owns a brick kiln business, was named the wildlife and conservation magazine Sanctuary Asia’s photographer of the year.

The 40-year-old first began spending time in the forests of the Bankura district in 2000, after which he bought a camera and started taking pictures as a hobby. But over time, he began using his camera to document the escalating human-elephant conflict in the area.

This region of West Bengal has for long been part of the migratory route for elephants, but as the Birsa Munda Halt railway platform shows, human interventions are increasingly challenging the survival of the species.

“…if this platform was built 100 metres in other direction, then the elephant corridor would’ve been saved,” Hazra told Quartz. “…it’s a platform in the middle of the forest, and one train passes through it without stopping… at the ticket counter, the fans, electricity wire, switches, everything has been nicked. Even the gate is missing. Only the platform remains.”

Elephants have a habit of moving from forest to forest, but rapid development has forced the species to adapt, according to Biswajit Mohanty, secretary of the Wildlife Society of Odisha, a state that neighbours West Bengal.

“Earlier they used to migrate to West Bengal and then return (to Jharkhand). But over a period of time, maybe over the last 10 years, the return is not happening for various reasons,” Mohanty told Quartz. Chief among them are the construction of a canal system, mining and other industrial activities, besides expanded human settlements and cultivation. As a result, Mohanty says, the feeding habits of elephants have also evolved, and they now like to eat the cash crops of sugarcane and potatoes grown year-round by the farmers in the region.

And this is what sparks the human-elephant conflict.

“The villagers are desperate to get rid of elephants because first of all the per acre compensation for damage (in West Bengal) is much lower than in other states,” Mohanty explained. “They try to throw those fireballs; they have steel rods dipped in kerosene and they have got a pointed tip and sometimes they poke the elephants when they come close.” Over the last five to six years, he added, elephants have also been increasingly driven into Odisha, which never used to happen before.

For Hazra, photography has become an essential tool to raise awareness of the issue, and Mohanty acknowledges that his images have started to make a difference. Last year, India’s supreme court deemed the practice of using spikes and fireballs to chase away elephants “barbaric” and ordered forest departments to stop immediately.

“Previously, everyone would be armed with these. Nowadays, maybe one in 100 people uses these fireballs,” Hazra said.

But the most important step for elephant conservation is to protect their traditional habitat.

“The way forward is to restore their migratory route so that they don’t have to forcibly stay in an area where they don’t normally stay,” Mohanty said. “Corridors have to be pushed back to what they were. (But) right now, there’s very little happening on that front.”

So Hazra continues to take his photos.

“These animals have to be saved. That’s why I take photographs….I want to be able to capture their suffering, and hopefully things can be improved legally,” he said.

Here are some of Hazra’s photographs that document the challenges of West Bengal’s elephant population:

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'Drunk' jumbos, a new headache for forest department in Kerala

NILACKAL: After the advent of pilgrim season, members of the forest
department's elephant squad - attached to Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR)
where Sabarimala hill shrine is located - are constantly on their toes.
Reason: Herds of elephants are camping close to the waste dump at
Nilackal, the new base camp for pilgrims before they proceed to Pamba
for their holy trek.
Officials said that wild elephants were particularly attracted to the tonnes
of spoiled molasses dumped in a pit here. This has now fermented after
rain water entered the pit, giving the elephants a steady source of 'heady
concoction, akin to wash'.
The molasses came from the warehouse of Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which was damaged by floods in Pamba in
August. Elephants had raided the warehouse in search of molasses after the floods.
"Every night, we have herds coming to drink this because the pit was not properly covered. Elephants step into it, make an
impression with their legs and have a fill when the liquid oozes in. They seem to have acquired a taste for it," said Abdul
Latheef, a forest veterinary doctor attached to PTR elephant squad.

Officials fear this might create safety issues for pilgrims as the dumping spot - situated a few hundred metres away from the

helipad at Nilackal - is located close to the bus station and temporary police barracks.

"Some elephants seem to have behavioural problems due to regular consumption of the liquor-like substance and are not

easily scared by our tactics. There is a possibility of the herds venturing into base camp area," the official said.

Open dumping of food waste like pineapple peels and flowers at the site is also luring the elephants.

Unscientific management of solid waste and sewage is a major issue at Pamba and Nilackal, green activists said. "For sewage,

they have built a tank, next to a forest region, which overflows and reaches Pamba through a stream called Kakkattaaru," said N

K Sukumaran Nair of Pamba Samrakshana Samiti.

Additional district magistrate P T Abraham, who coordinates waste management and sanitation, said he was not aware of such

an issue. "We are grading bio-degradable and non-biodegradable waste and are dumping only organic waste like flowers and

food. This is new to me," he said.

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https://india.mongabay.com/2018/11/23/roads-versus-wildlife-in-karnatakas-protected-areas/

Jumbo that strayed killed by train in Jorhat

A seven-year-old male elephant was mowed down by a passenger train in Titabar in Jorhat district on Wednesday.

The incident took place soon after the animal got separated from its herd and came towards railway track without the knowledge of the field staff, who were busy controlling another larger herd.

The front luggage-cum-parcel van of the Guwahati–Ledo Intercity Express derailed after hitting the animal at a spot between Titabar and Mariani stations under Tinsukia division of the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR). The train was running at 60km per hour when the incident took place.

“The herd, from which the elephant got separated, was taking shelter in Bokaholla tea estate. The herd then split into smaller groups. Our team

was trying to control another herd when the incident took place,” divisional forest officer of Jorhat Davinder Suman said.

“Officials of the NFR and the forest department communicate regularly through a WhatsApp group. But the field staff didn’t realise when this lone elephant got separated from its herd and climbed onto the track,” she added.

This is the second incident of an elephant being killed by a train in this area this year. The first incident took place in February.

The NFR authorities said all passengers got off the train soon after the incident. Senior officials of the Tinsukia division reached the site immediately with a relief train. The stretch was restored at 7.45am. The stranded train left the site around 8.06am.

“While prima facie investigation suggests that the train was within its stipulated speed, a departmental inquiry has been ordered,” an NFR statement said.

Movement of elephants has increased manifold in the area in the recent past. Trains are constantly asked to slow down whenever any information of herd movement is shared with the railway by the forest department. This is a notified elephant corridor for the forest department but not for the railways.

“As many as 200 such incidents have been prevented this year alone owing to a close coordination between the field staff of both the forest department and the NFR,” the statement added.

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Wild elephants kill 1, damage crops in Nagaland

Kohima, Nov 17 (UNI) One person was killed and other severely injured at Mekokla
village under Wokha district by wild elephant last night, besides damaging of croups,
plantation and farm house in the village.

According to sources today, one Nchemo Kikon aged 58 was killed and one John
aged 59 narrowly escaped with injured when they were inside the hut
in the paddy field.

Nyamo Z. Yanthan, Village Chairman of Mekokla village informed that a wild herd
of elephant were seen at the village vicinity since last month, where the matter was
reported to the Deputy Commissioner by a letter dated October 26, to which no
action were initiated by the authority’s concern as lamented by the chairman.

In connection, a similar incident was reported earlier in the year 2016, where one
innocent farmer was killed at a paddy field. This has become a usual conflict with
the people of the localities, where preventive measures is required to prevent fear
psychosis of the surrounding people, hampering normal life and affecting their
livelihood, the Chairman said. UNI AS BM

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Alpha male elephant keeps villagers at bay to unite herd

This is the moment a large alpha male elephant steps in to keep villagers at bay and create a safe passage for its herd to pass.

Villagers near Nilgiri forest in Balasore district of Odisha, India, woke up to the sound of a large elephant herd passing in the vicinity at 5 am on November 14.

They saw a herd of 100-plus elephants marching through their farms. Fearing that the herd will damage their crops and homes, they made a loud noise to chase the animals away.

The din split the herd and a small group, which was afraid to cross the road in the presence of villagers, was left behind.

Seeing that the group was afraid of the villagers, a large alpha male charged at the villagers and pushed them back.

It held its ground for nearly half an hour and retreated only after the separated group joined the main herd.

A local resident Sambit Raut said: “Forest officials arrived on time to manage both the villagers and animals. They prevented the confrontation from escalating.”

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Ten railway staff awarded for exceptional devotion towards duty

Rajeev Kumar, Electrical Signal Maintainer under Katihar Division; Ramesh Kumar, Gateman under Katihar Division; Kanchan Chakraborty, Driver under Alipurduar Division; Immanuel Dcruz, Asst Driver under Katihar Division; Mineswar Bora, Driver under Rangiya Division; Ratan Chandra Mondal, Sr. Tech under Katihar Division; Md. Arif, Technician -II under Katihar Division; Subhash Kumar, Gateman under Katihar Division; Biswajit Chanda, Driver under Lumding Division and Barun Das, Asst. Driver under Lumding Division were awarded by Sanjive Roy, General Manager, N.F. Railway during a function held in Guwahati on Thursday.

NF Railway CPRO Pranav Jyoti Sarma said that Rajeev Kumar, Electrical Signal Maintainer, while performing maintenance duty on Sept 1, detected rail fracture at KM 18/5-6 near Pranpur Road station.

At the same time, a goods train was approaching on that line. He immediately informed Station Master of Pranpur Road to control the train.

Ramesh Kumar, Gateman, while performing duty at Gate no. EB – 38 on Sept 13, noticed unusual sound and sparking in one coach of train No.13162 Dn Tebhaga Express. The train was stopped and on checking flat tyre was detected.

The affected coach was detached at Buniadpur station.

Kanchan Chakraborty, Driver and Immanuel Dcruz, Asst Driver, while working on Sept 14 by train no. 13247 Dn Capital Express between Sivok and Gulma stations, suddenly noticed one big tree fallen on the track at KM 20/1. They immediately applied emergency brake and managed to stop the train.

Mineswar Bora, Driver, while working train 55713 Up on Sept 14, detected defective Axle box of Loco No.40090 WDP4 at Kaithalkuchi station. He declared the loco failed to run. Finally, wheel of the said loco was replaced by staff from Siliguri diesel Shed.

Ratan Chandra Mandal, Sr. Tech and Md. Arif, Technician - II, while performing Rolling In and Out duty on Sept 23, detected unusual sound in coach No.14424 NFGS of train No.15905 Up Kanyakumari – Dibrugarh Express. The train was meticulously checked up and detected that rear RHS Hanger Pin of rear trolley was missing. The same was replaced.

Subhash Kumar, Gateman, while performing duty on Sept 29 at Gate no. NC 109(T), noticed unusual sound coming from train No – 55769 Malda – Katihar passenger. He immediately informed duty Station Master of Eklakhi station. On checking, heavy brake binding was detected.

Biswajit Chanda, Driver and Shri Barun Das, Asst. Driver, while working 55615 Up Guwahati – Silchar Fast Passenger on Oct 6, noticed wild elephants crossing railway track in between Hawaipur and Lamsakhang stations at about 4.27 am.

On noticing elephants, they immediately applied the emergency brake and somehow managed to stop the train near the herd of elephant. Due to their devotion and alertness, they managed to save the elephants.

In recognition of their meritorious service for preventing accident, all of them were awarded with a cash award of Rs. 2, 500 each along with a certificate by General Manager, N.F. Railway.

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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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Young elephant climbs out of 35-feet well after dramatic rescue

A young elephant became trapped alone overnight (November 1) in a ground well in eastern India and was released after an extensive rescue effort. The eight-year-old elephant had spent the night in the 35-feet deep well in Dhenkanal district of Odisha, India, after falling into it accidentally. People of the Pohala village woke up on the night of November 1 to the distressed trumpeting of the elephant. A 10-member elephant herd was passing through in the vicinity when the young male had...

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ELEPHANTS CHARGE AT HUNTERS AFTER ONE IS KILLED

A video showing an elephant being hunted in Namibia has gone viral. The video features two men with rifles aiming at a herd of elephants. The video further shows one elephant being shot and others chasing the hunters.

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Five elephants swim to safety after being swept away from herd due to heavy currents in Odisha's Mahanadi river

Cuttack: Five elephants, including two calves, which were swept away from their herd by heavy currents in Mahandi river while crossing it early Monday near Mundali, swam to safety later in the day, forest officials said.

The five elephants swam to safety near Naraj Barrage on the outskirts of the city in the afternoon, they said.

After over five hours of struggle, the animals found their way into the jungle by the evening, said the forest officials overseeing their rescue operation throughout the day.

The officials said, "At least five elephants, including two calves, of a herd of around 20 were trapped in heavy currents while crossing the river near Athgarh."

"They were trapped by a sudden release of flood waters at the Mundali Barrage. Five of them were swept away from the herd," they said.

"However, after the barrage gates downstream were opened to release the excess water, the elephants swam to safer places," said Forest ranger RK Nayak.

Struggling in flood waters for around five hours and swept away for over 15 kilometres, the elephants appeared very tired and tense as they managed to reach the right embankment of the Mahanadi river, he said.

"After taking rest for about an hour, the elephants found their way back to the Athgarh forest area in the evening," he added.

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Swept away from herd in Mahanadi, five elephants swim to safety: officials

Cuttack, Oct 15 Five elephants, including two calves, which were swept away from their herd by heavy currents in Mahandi river while crossing it early Monday near Mundali, swam to safety later in the day, forest officials said.

The five pachyderms swam to safety near Naraj Barrage here on the outskirts of the city in the afternoon, they said.

After over five hours of struggle, the animals found their way into the jungle by the evening, said the forest officials overseeing their rescue operation throughout the day.

The officials said, "At least five elephants, including two calves, of a herd of around 20 were trapped in heavy currents while crossing the river near Athgarh."

"They were trapped by a sudden release of flood waters at the Mundali Barrage. Five of them were swept away from the herd," they said.

"However, after the barrage gates downstream were opened to release the excess water, the elephants swam to safer places," said Forest Ranger R K Nayak.

Struggling in flood waters for around five hours and swept away for over 15 km, the elephants appeared very tired and tense as they managed to reach the right embankment of the Mahanadi river, he said.

"After taking rest for about an hour, the elephants found their way back to the Athgarh forest area in the evening," he added. COR SKN RG RAX RAX

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