No end to jumbo menace in Keonjhar
Orissa Post
September 1, 2024
See link https://www.orissapost.com/no-end-to-jumbo-menace-in-keonjhar/
for photo.
Keonjhar: There is no let-up in jumbo menace in areas under Keonjhar forest
division as hundreds of elephants moving in the district continue to give
sleepless nights to residents by damaging their crops, houses and
properties.
According to sources, frequent incursions of elephants into human habitats
have resulted in violent man-animal conflicts, with both sides experiencing
heavy casualties.
The conflict is mostly witnessed in areas under Patana, Champua, Telkoi,
Bhuyan and Juang Pirha, Sadar and Ghatagaon forest ranges. The jumbo herds
come out from the nearby forests in search of food and water and enter the
villages by the nightfall. The herds destroy standing paddy crops, alleged
by some of the worried farmers who have suffered crop loss.
Gaja Sathis (elephant squad), who have been deployed by the Forest
department to monitor the movement of the jumbos and sensitise the
villagers about the same and take steps to drive them out of human
habitations to forest areas, have failed to provide safety and security to
the villagers, it was alleged. The elephant herds also destroy vegetable
crops, houses and other properties.
“We are toiling hard throughout the day in planting paddy seedlings in
muddy farmlands but elephants stray into our fields in the evening and ruin
the crops. We are spending sleepless nights to shoo away the jumbo herd and
protect our lives and properties,” said Sanatan Mohanta of Maidankel, one
of the affected residents. Moreover, the Energy department is disconnecting
power supply at night for hours fearing electrocution of pachyderms. Power
outage for longer durations leaves people of most of the villages groping
in dark while children’s studies have taken a beating.
People are living in the dark and are forced to spend the nights on vigil
with fire. Locals demanded the Forest officials to assess the damage and
provide financial assistance to the farmers. On the other hand, the
residents of the area have urged the Electricity department not to cut
power supply at night on the pretext of electrocution of elephants as they
are suffering a lot, despite paying the bills regularly.
To protect them from the elephant menace, many a times the villagers are
using fireballs or batons along with sticks to drive away the elephants.
In order to drive away the elephants, very often they move closer to
elephant herds, despite alerts by the Forest department. They also tease
the jumbo herds by throwing stones and sticks at them.
Sometimes the villagers take drastic and inhuman steps that put the lives
of elephants at risk. Irritated by these acts, the elephants march towards
the villagers and destroy properties, crops and often kill the villagers.
Meanwhile, environmentalists have appealed to the Forest department to take
steps to stop the man-elephant conflicts.
Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Dhanraj HD said, “We are taking all
possible measures to check human- animal conflicts by making the people
aware, compensating the damages and deploying elephant protection force.”
According to official reports, 21 elephants have died in the last three
years. While 11 jumbos have succumbed in 2022, seven have perished in 2023
and three in 2024 (till date). Out of them, six died of electrocution, one
in a road accident, three in train hits and the remaining 11 in natural
causes.
Similarly, while 38 persons have died in three years due to elephant
attacks, 12 have lost their lives in 2022-23. Likewise, 18 and eight people
were trampled by the jumbos in 2023-24 and 2024-25 so far, respectively.
PNN
https://www.orissapost.com/no-end-to-jumbo-menace-in-keonjhar/