How to control elephants and human conflict?

From Newsbuddy Desk

North Chhattisgarh is most affected by elephants. Fodder and water are also not being managed properly to stop the elephants within the forest. The presence of elephants was also not taken care of in the power supply through the forest. Increasing encroachment in the forest area has also been a hindrance in becoming a companion of elephants. To reduce the loss of life and property caused by elephants, all activities have been stopped at present. Elephants are being monitored but the loss of life and property cannot be reduced by this.

Even during the monitoring of forest employees, elephants are damaging houses as well as taking human lives. There is also loss from both sides in elephant-human conflict. Experts believe that only long-term plans can be effective for this problem. Otherwise, in the coming days, control of elephant-human conflict will be more difficult. At present, different groups of more than 350 elephants are roaming in Chhattisgarh. Elephants have reached central and southern Chhattisgarh from North Chhattisgarh. In North Chhattisgarh, there have been incidents of killing wild elephants in a planned manner by making a fence of GI wire around the fields and passing current through it to protect the crops. Excessive spraying of pesticides on crops and mixing pesticides in food items in a planned manner have also caused the death of elephants.

Electric current is the main reason for the deaths of wild elephants in Chhattisgarh. Leaving aside the incidents of killing elephants by electric current in a planned manner in the affected area in earlier years, the remaining incidents are the result of negligence. At present, the biggest problem in elephant roaming areas is the low height electricity lines. The situation is that as soon as the trunk of wild elephants rises, they come in contact with the electric wire. Even healthy elephants are dying instantly due to electric shock.

Monitoring is easy with scientific technology

Work has been done in collaboration with the Indian Wildlife Institute to study the behavior of elephants in Chhattisgarh. During the same time, work on satellite radio collaring on elephants also started. Radio collars were ordered from South Africa. For some days, information about the presence of elephants was obtained from radio collars. Later this activity has also been stopped. Use of radio collar ID is necessary for monitoring wild elephants. Work can be done on the protection of life and property from elephants by providing compensation to the affected farmers and house owners 100% of the time and by public awareness programs to develop a sense of companionship with wild elephants.