Jumbos in danger zone

--form a special team to protect the wild elephants

BHUBANESWAR: Four elephants were electrocuted within a week in two different forest ranges in Ganjam district, when the country was observing Wildlife Week, which has created hue and cry in the State and national-level. On September 26, one tusker was killed after it got entangled in wires at Karchuli jungle under Buguda forest range under South Ghumusar forest range in the same district.

Following the death of the jumbos, mud-slinging between the power distribution companies and Forest Department has been started. PCCF (Wildlife) JD Sharma said that the power distribution companies should install circuit breakers, use insulated transmission wires and tall poles to prevent the electrocution of wild elephants. On the other hand, Energy Minister Arun Sahu said the elephants were killed by poachers and the jumbos were not died due to the fault of the power transmission companies, so that the Forest Department should take appropriate action into the matter.

It is not the new thing that a blame game takes place between the Forest Department and other departments regarding elephant death. The concerning departments would work seriously for few days till the issue is faded away and after that all concerning departments would forget the issue, said a political activist.

The State Government does not go to the root of the problem related to elephant death, said an environmentalist and former forest official Nadiya Chand Kanungo. Due to mining in forest areas and sensitive zones like Smilipal, Hadgarh and some areas of Mayurbhanj and Kendujhar district, the elephants are losing their habitat. The mining mafias and wood mafias are looting their habitat, for which reason they are entering into the human habitat in search of food where the man and elephant tussle starts, said Kanungo, adding, “If the similar trend continues, a day will come where we will count the numbers of elephants like the tigers now.”

According to former chairman of Ganjam block Surath Pahan, the tussle between men and elephant is increasing in the block as a result seven persons and eight jumbos were killed and it happens due to the inaction of the Forest Department. The forest personnel are engaged in many works at a time like Olive Ridley protection, avenue plantation and to keep vigil on wood smugglers, but they find few time to think about the protection of the wild elephants, he added.

“The department suffers not only from staff shortage, but also from infrastructure and technical necessity. When people agitate against the apathy of the forest department in driving away the elephants from the human habitat, that time the department starts patrolling and operations seriously then stops it after few days of the serious operation,” Pahan said.

It is noteworthy that the areas where the elephants were electrocuted recently in Ganjam are surrounded by farming lands. Most of the people of that area depend on paddy and vegetable crops. Most of the time, the herds of jumbos enter into the farming lands and destroy the crop along with the thatched houses which later create anger among the farmer and locals. They request many officials and people’s representatives to drive away the elephants and when the officials keep mum after maintaining some formalities. The poor farmers just see the crops are destroyed by the wild animals in front of him, said a villager Rabi Nahak of Burudi area, a place famous for vegetable.

The operation Gajanan had taken place at the area one year back to drive away the jumbos. Even a high-level committee had proposed to make a trench of 2.5m depth and 2m width in the jungle as first plan and construction of electric fences to check the infiltration of the jumbos to the human habitations. The work of establishing an elephant corridor at Salia dam near the Raniber jungle yet to start, said Pahan.  

According to Pahan, the people of the area have been demanding to compensate them for the damage or drive away the elephants from their farming land, but that is in vain. The compensation amount is not so attractive and very less than the loss, he said. “If the administration will not take any action to give compensation for farmers and to drive away the jumbos from their paddy fields, the poor farmers will solve the problem in their own way,” Pahan said, adding, “Form a special team to protect the wild elephants and to drive away the elephants at the time of their entry into the farming lands and human habitats.”

It may be noted that in recent times eight elephants have died in the Khallikote forest range, while four elephants have died in the Ghumusar forest division almost in similar circumstances and only seven elephants are left, sources said. At the State-level, 61 elephants were electrocuted out of 296 elephants that died between 2008 and 2012.