The Alarming Cost Of Human-Elephant Conflicts - 373 Elephants And 1,713 Humans In Three Years

The ever growing human population means the need for more homes and more land to cultivate. This can only be made available by encroaching into the forests.

But one of the biggest aftermaths of the expansion of agricultural lands into a forest is the increase in human-animal conflicts.

Animals tend to 'stray into' human settlements along the border with forests, in search of food and water.

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This is a lose-lose situation for both the sides.

Elephants, which are the largest land animals, is also one of the biggest victims of the ever growing man-animal conflict.

In India, between 2015-2018, 373 elephants were killed of unnatural causes including poaching and electrocution.

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Minister of State(MoS) in the Ministry Of Environment, Forest And Climate Change, Mahesh Sharma told the Lok Sabha that a total of 373 elephants have died unnaturally in last three years all over India. Of them, 62 died due to train accidents, 226 died due to electrocution, 59 died due to poaching and 26 died due to poisoning.

As per the data made available by the government, despite the 62 cases of elephant deaths on railway tracks, only 13 cases have been registered against loco pilots so far, Assam (2) Odisha (5) and Kerala (6). There is no information regarding punishment to loco pilots by the Railways.

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However, the biggest reason for concern is the rising number of electrocutions. Between 2015-18 a total of 226 elephants have been killed due to electrocution. It alone accounts for more deaths than, trains, poaching and poisoning combined.

As far as the loss of human lives are concerned, a total of 1713 people were killed by elephants in the same period.

West Bengal topped the list of states with the most number of human fatalities in the three years with 317 deaths, followed by Odisha (305).

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In 2018 alone, 227 people were killed by wild elephants in 16 States, with Assam accounting for 86 deaths, the highest number.

The minister also told the house that to minimize the impacts of human wildlife

conflicts, the government has initiated a number of steps including financial and technical assistance to states under ¡®Project Elephant¡¯.

He also added that all elephant states have been directed to implement the Guidelines for Management of Human Elephant Conflict.

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He also stated that physical barriers, such as barbed wire fence, solar powered electric fence, bio-fencing using cactus, boundary wall etc.are being constructed to prevent entry of wild animals into a crop field.

To avoid man-animal conflict and to prevent damage or loss of human life and elephants, the Forest Department is engaging local communities as animal trackers to know the movement of elephants and also to caution local people.