Keonjhar: In a bid to check jumbo deaths, the Forest department here has announced cash award of Rs 200 to people who will provide information about impending danger to the animals, sources said Monday.
This is the latest in the series of moves adopted by the Forest department to reduce man-elephant conflict and to check jumbo deaths. Earlier, the department had launched the SMS alert for people living near elephant corridors or if the pachyderms were close to human habitats. Now comes the cash move as officials feel that the announcement will motivate locals.
The Forest department has also coined a slogan on elephant protection and the cash award. Officials said that the award will be given to anyone reporting illegal hooking of wires from transmission lines, sagging electric wires, poachers and open transformers. The identity of the informant will be kept confidential, officials said. Telephone numbers have also been made public on which people can call and provide information, they added.
Reports said that more than 158 elephants in 17 herds are moving in the areas under the Keonjhar forest division. Among them 49 are males, 68 females and 41 calves.
Sources said that elephants get the most enraged when they feel their calves are in danger. It is one of the main reasons why the jumbos hide in the forests during the day and stray into human habitats at night in search of food. In the process, the animals damage and destroy properties and also crops stored in the houses.
Sources said that to avoid human-elephant conflict sharing proper information is a must. Only then the loss of lives on both sides can be prevented, they added.
