It is World Elephant Day today and the tidings from the forests of the state are grim for the pachyderm, which is often painted as the villain in instances of man–animal conflict. Jose K Joseph of Orissa POST gets a lowdown on the status of these ‘engineers of the forests’ as they grapple with challenges, including the loss of habitat.
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Bhubaneswar, August 11: In 1979, Orissa had 2,044 elephants spread over Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Angul, Dhenkanal, Sundargarh and Cuttack. In 2015, the elephant census pegged the total number of these animals at 1,954.
According to the census, the state had 341 tuskers; and 80 adult, breeding males had died over four years thereto.
Experts are worried that elephant numbers are dwindling as the forest cover in the state is being gobbled up by mines, agriculture, industries and urbanisation.
Man-animal conflict, particularly incidents involving elephants, has seen an increase as these mammals often leave forests to forage.
“We are getting reports of wild elephant sighting in places where people had never seen them in the past,” Biswajit Mohanty, the secretary of Wildlife Society of Orissa (WSO), said.
According to Biswajit, the elephant population of the state was facing the gravest threat yet.
“Each year 18 to 20 adult breeding elephants are getting killed. At this rate the number of large breeding elephants could fall to under 50 over the next four years. Calves born to immature males and females are unhealthy and that means higher mortality or unhealthy rise of population. The sex ratio is also becoming lopsided,” Mohanty said.
Elephant numbers are also being affected by indiscriminate poaching. Several elephants have been poisoned or electrocuted in the state in recent times. Experts feel there is an urgent need to create awareness among farmers on the necessity of protecting elephants.
“Farmers are erecting electric fences to protect their crops from wild animals. The forest department must initiate discussions with the electricity department so that they verify and ensure that farmers are not putting up fences that can cost elephants their lives,” Amit Kumar Gupta, a wildlife expert, said.
In Keonjhar and Dhenkanal districts, experts claim, elephants populations are showing contrary trends as they are facing two different challenges.
In Keonjhar, the population has plummetted from 112 elephants in 2002 to 47 as a result of the expansion of mines. In Dhenkanal, on the other hand, the number has risen from 81 in 2002 to 164 as elephants are unable to migrate to other forests cut off as they are since the beginning of excavation and construction work for Rengali irrigation canals.
Wildlife experts also report that the 60 odd elephants that used to call the Chandaka sanctuary home have migrated to forests in Ganjam and Cuttack districts as a result of rising human “disturbance”.
“A herd of 15 to 16 elephants from Chandaka that had remained in the Rambha forest range for about 4 to 5 years has been wiped out by electrocution and other accidents besides being hit by trains. Another group of about 25 elephants from Chandaka are trapped in small patches of forests and come into frequent conflict with the farmers in the Khuntuni forest range,” Biswajit said.
The principal chief conservator of forest Sidhanta Das, however, is optimistic. He told Orissa POST that the department was doing its best to protect elephants. “The department already has elephant squads that monitor movement of elephant herds. They alert people whenever a herd crosses a national highway or enters human habitations. They control traffic and keep other related departments in the loop. We are also holding consultations with departments such as railways as some tracks lie across elephant paths,” Sidhanta said.
Elephantine troubles
# Land in elephant corridors and two large reserves can be diverted for non forest use such as mining in the absence of forest notification
# Since 1990, as many as 1,269 elephants have died in Orissa. 470 have died over the last six years alone
# Of the 470 killed, 226 died from
disease, accidents or rutting spars, 85 were poached for ivory, 69 died of
unidentified causes, 47 were
electrocuted by poachers, 26 were killed when they accidentally came in contact with electric supply lines, 15 were run over by trains, and
2 died after they were hit by vehicles
on roads
# The average of elephant deaths per year has risen from 46 in 2000–2010 to 73 since
# Open wells have become a threat to elephants as 28 pachyderms have fallen into these since December 2012 and three have died
# States such as Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Assam have much larger elephant populations but elephant mortality is the highest in Orissa
# Orissa had identified five Elephant Reserves out of which only three — the Mahanadi Reserve (8,036 sqkm), the Mayurbhanj Reserve (7,043 sqkm) and the Sambalpur Reserve (5,846 sqkm) — are notified
# South Odisha Reserve (4,216 sqkm) and Baitarani Reserve (10,516 sqkm) have not been notified although attempts were made to notify
them in 2007
