Elephantine problem. Is there a solution to this

Updated on: Tuesday, June 14, 2011

With a human population bursting at its seams, more and more people are settling in areas that were once the habitat of elephants. This has resulted in human-elephant conflicts. Consequently, issues of elephant conservation and mitigation are becoming more important. In fact, a range of efforts are being initiated, across the country, in securing elephant corridors and supporting the patrolling of elephant corridors, which are narrow strips of land that allow elephants to move from one habitat patch to another.

One of WWF's projects in the area of elephant conservation and mitigation has recently ended. Anupam Sharma, head, Assam landscape, WWF India, explains that the approach has been implemented successfully in the north-east, on the north bank of the river Brahmaputra in the Sonitpur district of Assam, in partnership with the state forest department. In this approach, domesticated and trained elephants are hired to form anti-depredation squads, whose primary aim is to prevent damage and destruction by rogue tuskers straying into human habitation.

He elaborates that when elephants/elephant herds move into human habitation, the antidepredation squads first send the information to the WWF. Once this information is received, they use trained elephants known as 'kumkis,' which form the first line of defence to arrange a drive-back for the straying jumbos. This model, also known as the 'Sonitpur model,' was started in 2004 and has since helped reduce deaths of both elephants and humans significantly.

WWF is now trying to replicate the model in the Udalguri and Dhansiri districts of Assam. Anti-depredation squads have also been initiated in the wildlife corridor in the Karbi-Anglong district of Assam.

On the other hand, says Sharma, efforts are being made to set up physical barriers like solar-powered electrified fences, walls, etc, which act as physical deterrents for stray elephants. For a small village, for example, a wall or fence can be set-up around it so that the entrance of elephants is blocked. As of now, these efforts are being carried on in a low scale.

Another approach consists of identifying and capturing 'problem-elephants,' radio-collaring them and then moving them to other areas. "Last year, two rogue elephants were identified from near the Hassan district of Karnataka. The areas around the western ghats have severe humanelephant conflicts. These two tuskers were radio collared and then translocated to the forests around the Bandipur-Nilgiri biosphere reserve," says Dipankar Ghose, head, species and landscapes programme, WWF India.

Times of India

Elephantine problem. Is there a solution to this

More Education news