As many as 1,578 people died in elephant attacks in India between 2019-20 and 2021-22, of which the highest 322 such deaths were reported from Odisha, according to a statement by Union minister for environment, forest and climate change, Bhupender Yadav, in Parliament during its last session.
While 117 persons were killed in elephant attacks in 2019-20, 93 such deaths were reported during 2020-21 and another 112 deaths in 2021-22.
At the same time, the state also witnessed the death of wild elephants due to various reasons including poaching, electrocution, train accidents, road mishaps, etc.
Official data showed that at least 245 elephants died in Odisha during the same period from 2019-20 to 2021-22. While 82 elephants died in 2019-20, the deaths of another 77 jumbos were reported in 2020-21. Moreover, the number of deaths increased to 86 in 2021-22.
Out of the 245 jumbo deaths that occurred in the past three years, 35 deaths were reported in the Dhenkanal forest division, followed by mineral-rich Keonjhar division with 21 deaths and Angul with 12 deaths.
During the last three years, Deogarh and Athmallik forest divisions have reported 11 elephant deaths each whereas 10 such deaths have been reported from Balasore wildlife division, Kalahandi (south) and Khurda division.
During the last one decade (2012-13 to 2021-22), Odisha has reported 784 elephant deaths, of which 36 jumbos died in accidents while 34 were killed by poachers and others due to various reasons. Out of 36 accidental deaths, 30 died in train accidents, six in road accidents.
Apart from these deaths, in June and July the Odisha police found the bones and carcasses of five elephants including a tusker from Athagarh forest range in Cuttack district.
These figures indicate the gravity of the human-elephant conflict in the state. Apart from human casualties, the elephants are also destroying the houses and crops of the people residing near elephant habitations.
The human-elephant conflict is increasing in Odisha basically due to the increasing population, degradation of forests and human behaviour, said Jaya Krishna Panigrahi, secretary, Orissa Environmental Society, an Odisha-based voluntary organisation working for the conservation of wildlife and biodiversity.
"We have forests, but their quality has been degraded due to various reasons. There is a lack of food and water inside the forests also, which forces the jumbos to come out to human habitations," he said.
Besides, the links between the forest areas for the movement of wildlife animals have also been disconnected, Panigrahi said.
To remedy the situation, the environmentalist said "We have to ensure that the elephants get all they need within the forests and the people near forest areas should be motivated to cultivate other crops and learn how to behave with the wild elephants as they also need to survive."
Informing about the various steps taken by the state government for the conservation and protection of wild elephants, Odisha forest minister Pradip Amt, in a written reply in the assembly on July 19, said that 14 elephant corridors and three elephant conservation projects have been taken up to prevent the deaths of elephants.
The state government has dug ponds to provide drinking water to the elephants. At least 402 ponds were dug and 426 ponds were restored in the past three years.
As per the reply, 343 anti-poaching squads comprising 1715 personnel have been deployed in strategic places to prevent the poaching of elephants. Drone and watch towers are being used to keep a strict vigil on the elephant habitats, their movements and on the movement of poachers.
The state has set up a crime cell under the Special Task Force (STF) of the crime branch to investigate and take action in important cases.
For safe passage of the wild animals, it was proposed to construct an animal overpass or underpass on the railway line at 35 locations.
Besides, underpasses have been proposed at 49 locations on various highways, on which work has been completed at 11 locations and is in progress in 15 other locations. The state has enhanced the compensation amount to Rs 4 lakh from Rs 3 lakh for death in a wild animal attack.
Hailing from Sweden, she loved animals from a very young age. She was only 19 when she left her country and moved to South Africa to pursue her passion for wild animals.
Today, she is the head of the Western Cape Cheetah Conservation that focuses on rehabilitation and release of cheetahs into protected areas. She works full-time at the Conservation Center, looking after cheetahs, giraffes, elephants, zebras and many more wild animals.
Sometimes, the cheetahs arrive at the Western Cape Cheetah Conservation Center so young that they need to be bottle-fed. These are orphans or animals that have been kept as pets and they couldn’t survive in the African Savannah.
They need to learn how to stalk, chase and catch a prey. She has a very strong bond with her cheetahs, but doesn’t spend all day playing and cuddling them. It is the daily routine of Lisa to interact with animals and talk to them without saying a word.
Lisa says, “It is all about body language, they read yours as much as you read theirs. These felines are very empathetic, and sometimes I feel like they can read my mind. And if you are not 100% present, they quickly lose interest in you or worst they could attack you.”
“It takes experience, dedication and time, even years to rehabilitate a cheetah. Often they simply want to play, bouncing on you, scratching and biting you, just like they would do with their mother or another cub. They keep trying their limits just like a dog, but this is way more complicated and dangerous because they are and they will remain wild creatures.”
“It is surreal to have this experience of living with these beautiful creatures and I’m lucky enough to live it every single day,” she quips.
You can follow Lisa’s adventures on Instagram at @lisatorajaqueline
Fagu Hansdah of Bajarsul village under Jaleswar block of Balasore district died in elephant attack early morning today. According to sources, he had gone outside to attend natures' call when he was attacked by a tusker. He died on the spot.
In another incident, a lone elephant separated from its herd destroyed acres of standing vegetable and paddy crops in villages under Bonai forest range in Sundargarh district.
Reportedly, the jumbo entered the village in search of food and destroyed crop fields. The tusker also damaged four houses at Jangala village. The villagers fled their houses fearing attack by the pachyderm.
Though the villagers tried to chase away the elephant, but failed. After their unsuccessful attempts, they lodged a complaint with the forest department, following which, forest officials have been deployed in the area. The forest officials along with the locals launched operation to drive away the elephant.
Similarly, a herd of elephants unleashed terror in Khordha district. The wild animals destroyed boundary wall of a park near the district Collector's office and triggered panic in the locality.
Locals informed the forest officials and along with them they tried to drive the jumbo away. Later, the herd moved towards Barunei forest.
“We had information about the elephant herd crossing tracks and we were in contact with the railways. The goods train was travelling at low pace and the driver honked multiple times before crossing the spot,” said PCCF Shashi Paul.
Paul who termed the incident tragic, said that the warning systems of the department, pertaining to tracking the movement of animals, are being updated. “We are working on how to make it more efficient,” he added.
According to reports, a herd of eight elephants was crossing the railway tracks near the Bhusandapur level crossing late on Saturday night when a speeding train hit them.
The accident was captured on the cell phone of some locals who were present at the spot. After the video went viral on social media, it triggered heated arguments on the platform.
Eyewitnesses said one elephant died on the spot while two others that sustained injuries in the mishap ran into the nearby forest. The carcass of one of the two injured elephants was recovered from the forest on Sunday morning by the forest officials.
Recently, during the winter session of the Odisha Assembly, State Minister for Forest and Environment, Bikram Keshari Arukha had informed that at least 406 elephants had died between 2016-17 and 2020-21.
The Minister said that as many as 162 elephants died in accidents while 54 died of electrocution during these years.
“The elephants have been damaging our crops from past three days and also destroying houses in the village, forcing us to stay awake all night to guard the crops and drive away the elephants,” said Kalpalata Pradhan, a local.
Not only Nahabeda, the jumbos have been causing damage and destruction in nearby villages Fulachuda, Mankadachua, Khandera, Fakirpur and Suluguda.
“We have already prepared the paper works for compensation after conducting preliminary investigation. After getting the papers signed by the affected locals and higher authorities we will send them to DFO who will release the compensation amount immediately," said Bidyadhar Sahu, Forester of Balibandha Brit under Champua Range.
The State government has decided to appoint an SDO rank officer in each district of the state to monitor and keep surveillance on the movement of elephants.
Odisha Energy Minister Susant Singh today informed that “An SDO rank officer will be appointed in every district of the state to monitor the movement of jumbos. The concerned officer will maintain co-ordination between the forest and energy department."
"We are taking steps for ‘zero casualty’ of elephants due to electrocution in the coming days," said Singh adding that shagging electric lines will be rectified within in a month on war footing across the state.
Chief Wildlife Warden Sandeep Tripathy, said, "The Energy department will carry out work on shagging wires. Following this, a joint verification will be carried out. Efforts will be made that this incident does not recur."
On the other hand, man and animal conflict continued in Mayurbhanj district as villagers of Chitrada, Haladipal and Shirsapal were in panic after elephant strayed into human habitat.
"We are staying indoors as the elephants has strayed near to villages," Sujata Sethi, a Haladipal resident:
Meanwhile, forest staff have been trying hard to drive back elephants into the wild. "Along with APR force, 100 staff of the forest department have been deployed to chase pachyderms into forest," said. BB Swain, Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF), Baripada divison.
Earlier, seven elephants had died due to electrocution in Dhenkanal district on October 27.
According to reports, a herd of 13 elephants had strayed into the region in search of food when they came in contact with the high voltage live wire pulled at a height of 5 feet above the ground that was laid for the construction of railway tracks in the area.
On the other hand when asked about the return of the Odia labourers stranded in Kerala, Singh who also heads the Labour department said "Efforts are on by the State government to rescue 30 Odia labourers who are stranded in Kerala."
He further informed that an official of labour department will leave for Kerala tomorrow.
Reportedly, the incident took place when a herd of around 20 elephants were crossing the river while going from Athagarh to Chandaka forest.
According to sources, the wild elephants used to cross the river on a daily basis but due to heavy flow of flood water in the river following incessant rain triggered under the impact of cyclone Titli, the jumbos were swept away today.
Athagarh Forest Range Officer Rabindranath Nayak informed that 5 jumbos were swept away out of the 9 elephants in the herd whereas four elephants have moved to Chandaka forest.
Also Read: IOCL to distribute LPG cylinders at subsidised rates in flood-hit Odisha districts
On being informed, Forest department officials reached the spot and launched a rescue operation to save the jumbos. Till the last reports came in, one of the elephants has reached the river bank at Anantpur whereas three elephants that were trapped have been rescued after four gates of Naraj barrage were opened. The elephants were swept 5 kms ahead to Naraj from Mundali where they were rescued.
Moreover, this constant fear has forced the villagers of Kuldiha and Mangad under Baunsabania panchayat to spend the whole night on treetop houses to guard their farmlands.
"The elephants have damaged our standing crops. The forest officials come and drive away the animals with the help of crackers and lights. But as soon as the officials leave, the elephants enter again and destroy the crops. When we try to stop them, they attack us,” a local alleged.
"I take food with me and spend the whole night on the top of the tree to guard my crop lands. Although, this happens every year, this time the situation is getting worse," another villager alleged.
As per reports, the villagers are trying their best by using all possible measures to prevent their crop lands from being damaged. They have reportedly used torches, burning tyres, crackers but in vain. Even the efforts of the forest department have failed to yield any result, locals said.
The herd of the pachyderms reportedly destroyed some houses in Kolabira as well.
On being informed, the Forest department officials rushed to the spot and drove away the elephants into Tureikela forest, informed sources.
Meanwhile, locals in Kolabira have rued such frequent intrusion of elephants into human settlement citing that they are under constant threat from the pachyderms.
Even in other parts of the State, many such instances of elephants straying into human settlement have been reported.
More than 20 elephants including a wild tusker were spotted at Mukundpur, Sartalia, Mirigisinga and Mangalpur area yesterday. The herd destroyed standing crops on nearly two acres of land leading to resentment among locals.
Official sources said elephants had entered Jharkhand after crossing Odisha border on June 21. However, the same herd is again back while keeping the forest officials on their toes.
Champua Ranger said that torch lights are being used in night hours while crackers during the day to chase away the wild animals and keep it away from straying into human settlements.
Earlier panic gripped locals of Chemana village under Patana forest range in Keonjhar district after a herd of over 20 elephants was spotted at eucalyptus forest region close to the human settlement on June 8.
Sources had said the pachyderms strayed from Mayurbhanj side after crossing the Baitarani river and camped in the eucalyptus forest near Chemana village.
Keonjhar: A herd of elephants has caused extensive damage to a mango orchard in Telkoi forest area of Keonjhar in last four days.
The elephants destroyed trees in Telkoi block's Saruali and Sinkula bahal areas while mango plantations have also been destroyed.
The farmers are now demanding compensation as the herd of jumbos has wreaked havoc leading to destruction of mango harvest in nearly 5,000 acres of land.
The villagers are also demanding a permanent solution to the problem.
"The elephants have destroyed around 200 mango trees in last four days. Despite trying very hard we have failed to drive back the elephants. The forest officials should compensate us for the loss," farmer Maghu Barik said.
The Forest Department has assured compensation for farmers after conducting an assessment of damage.
Forest Department official of Telkoi, Pitambar Barik, said," Only after a complete assessment of the damage, a final report will be sent to higher officials and compensation will be provided to the affected farmers."
According to reports, when the herd comprising of one tusker, two female elephants and a calf were crossing over the tracks in the wee hours at around 4 am today near Teladihi level crossing, they were hit by a speeding train leading to the death of the four animals on the spot.
On getting information, forest officials rushed to the spot and initiated a rescue operation.
Three JCB machines have been engaged to clear the tracks as the jumbos are lying dead on the tracks disrupting railway traffic on the route.
People are in panic over the persistent elephant menace in the area as their houses and crops are being often damaged by the pachyderms, said reports.
The locals alleged that the forest department has so far failed to drive out the animals in the region.
However, the ranger of the Champua range Bharat Ghadei said as many as 40 staff have been engaged to keep tabs on the movement of the pachyderms and drive them out.
"Besides, the forest department is using crackers and lights to drive away the animals," said Ghadei.
As per reports, the heard has been moving in Burujhuli, Badakuturi, Sanakuturi, Jemadeipur, Wailpadu, Adangi, Lalusahi and Landasahi villages in the range owing to which the villagers are living in a constant state of fear.
The forest department is taking all possible steps to control the situation, said Prakash Chandra Bisoyi, forest range officer (FRO), Narayanpur. "We are trying our best to ensure safety of the villagers and the pachyderms too, said Bisoyi.
"The pachyderms have destructed our tomato and other crops. We have been spending sleepless nights," said one villager.
The forest officials are initiating every possible measure to drive out the elephants back to the forest at the earliest, the FRO added.
The forest department rushed to the spot and drove the animals away from the human habitation. Meanwhile, the local residents have demanded compensation from the government and pucca houses under the Housing scheme of government.
According to sources, the two female elephants were electrocuted at the forest range under Safa panchayat this morning after they entered the Sri Arabinda Srikhetra Ashram in search of food.
The two pachyderms are believed to have died after coming in contact with live wires fenced around the paddy field near the ashram.
On being informed about the incident, Cuttack DFO rushed to the spot and seized the bodies of the elephants.
The elephants were crossing the rail tracks near Gindhi station in West Bengal when they were hit by Gyaneshwari Express, killing them on the spot, the official said.
Due to the incident, rail traffic on the route was hit for four hours.
However, according to a senior official of the forest department, several elephants suffered unnatural deaths owing to poaching, poisoning, train and road accidents as well as electrocution.
According to official figures, most of the deaths occurred during 2015-16 and 2012-13 with 81 elephants killed during that time.
Arukh told the state assembly while replying to a question by Biju Janata Dal MLA Amar Prasad Satapathy that the state government was taking several steps to protect the jumbos and stone walls, trenches and solar powered wire fencing were put up in sensitive areas to prevent elephants from entering human habitats.
Also Read: Control room to tackle elephant menace in Odisha villages
"We are taking a number of steps to confine elephants in forests. New forests having plant species relished by elephants are being created. Besides, fresh water-bodies are being created and those existing are being renovated," Arukh said.
Apart from putting up solar fencing to ward off elephants, anti-depredation squads and elephant trackers were engaged to monitor movement of elephants and prevent them from entering human habitats, said the minister.
The forest and the energy departments were coordinating to raise the height of electric poles to prevent sagging of wires.
The minister said the elephants enter human habitats in search of food due to forest fire, urbanisation, industrialisation, increasing population and land encroachment.
According to him, the state government was developing 14 identified elephant corridors.
There were three elephant reserves namely Mayurbhanj, Mahanadi and Sambalpur while 14 elephant corridors in the state spreading over 870 sq km. Besides, nine fragmented corridors are also formed, said sources.
The new techniques are put to use as the wild animals have made life miserable for the residents in several areas like Hemgiri, Sabdega and other places, Forest officials said.
The jumbos demolish houses destroy standing crops like paddy and vegetables. Farmers appear to be more worried about protecting the paddy and other farm produces.
"We are now using some new techniques and plans are afoot to introduce some other methods for which we need government s approval," said Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Sundergarh, Arun Kumar Mishra.
Amongst the techniques being used are LED lights with sirens, scare away guns and bio-acoustics. "The LED lights and sirens are being used after the experience in Jaspur in Chhattisgarh," said the DFO.
The high power lights along with sirens are helping in scaring away the jumbos. However, these have limited effect.
What really helped was the scare away guns. The scare away gun is nothing but a big look alike of an old artillery gun kept at forts along with a gas cylinder. In 45 seconds it will fire one shot making a deafening sound of enough decibel to scare away the elephant, he said.
"This is not 100 per cent successful but so far has scared the elephants away," said Mishra.
The bio-acoustics is nothing but a machine, which has sounds of animals like boar and elephants when they are in stress or distress.
"This helps but has to be used in isolation because elephants are very clever when they listen human voices along with this they do not go away as they understand no one is in problem," said Mishra.
This was used in Athagarh, he said adding these three methods have limitations.
Another method which is in use in the US is called the radio collar use.
"A radio collar is put on the elephant after tranquilising it," said the DFO.
The collar will prevent the
jumbo from crossing certain limit by sending some electric shocks. As a result it will come back, he said.
However, the Forest department is waiting for the government clearance to use it, he added.
More concerning, the district administration believes the hundred jumbos that strayed into the region from West Bengal will move further towards Nilagiri in Balasore district by Monday.
“Around 30 elephants that had strayed into the region last week have assembled with another herd of 70 elephants that has ventured from West Bengal at Rasagobindpur. As many as 50 elephants are straying near the border areas of Balasore district and are likely to enter Nilagiri by Monday,” informed Additional Tehsildar of Nilagiri, Rakesh Panda.
“I heard that around 100 elephants are moving towards our area. The crops are yet to ripen and cannot be cut. I have no idea what to do,” said a distressed farmer, Surendra Sahoo.
Another farmer Bharat Mohanty said, “The last time the jumbos came, they had destroyed crops in huge stretch of lands. I am afraid of the same consequence this time too. However, if the administration grants us compensation for the loss, it will be good for us.”
Meanwhile, the farmers in the villages under Rasagobindpur are spending sleepless nights and trying all means to prevent their crops from getting damaged by the jumbos. However, paddy crops on a large stretch of land have already been destroyed by the mammals, sources said.
The Kumki elephants will be brought from Karnataka and would be engaged to keep a vigil on the tigers which were brought from Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve to Satkosia.
Chief Wildlife Warden, Sandeep Tripathy informed that Odisha government has already cleared the proposal and talks have begun with officials of Karnataka Forest Department.
“We have mooted a proposal to bring three Kumki elephants from Karnataka. This will be beneficial to carry out extensive operations, keep vigil on tigers and other aspects especially during monsoon,” said Tripathy.
At present, two trained Kumki elephants –Rajkumar and Mahendra brought from Karnataka a few years back are engaged in patrolling inside Simlipal.
Forest officials informed that the fresh proposal to bring Kumki elephants will assist in putting a check on rising incidents of man-animal conflict.
Besides, the trained elephants can also be used to rein in wild elephant herds and carry out patrolling inside deep forests and other inaccessible areas.
“It would certainly be beneficial as tigers would naturally fear elephants. The elephants can also be used for patrolling which can also help to check incidents of poaching and other wildlife crimes,” said wildlife expert, Bijayketan Patnaik.
As per reports, a train from Dhenkanal was passing through the area when some elephants crossed the railway track. As soon as the driver of the train spotted the elephants, he applied brakes on time which made the train to stop just a few metres away from the spot where the pachyderms were crossing the tracks.
The incident came to light after a video of the happening shot from inside the driver's cabin went viral on social media.
#WATCH: Elephant herd narrowly escapes while crossing railway track in Khuntuni Forest Range under Athagarh Forest Division after an alert train driver stops train just on time pic.twitter.com/BhZbfkz7CO
— OTV (@otvnews) July 22, 2019
According to official data released during a high level joint coordination meeting of Forest, Power department and the Railways, only 30 to 40 percent modification works to ensure safety and security of the pachyderms in the elephant corridors have been completed.
It may be noted that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had asked the concerned departments to take adequate measures to curb electrocution deaths of elephants and other wildlife in the forest areas by modifying the existing electricity lines by December 2018. Not only the target has missed the deadline, but surprisingly, concerns have now been raised whether the works would be completed even in 2020.
While the Energy department has blamed financial crunch and cyclone Fani as the main reasons behind delay, State Chief Wildlife Warden, Hari Shankar Upadhyaya has expressed grave worry over the situation and asked the concerned departments to expedite the works.
At a time when electrocution has claimed lives of as many as 89 elephants in last 8 years, rate of jumbo deaths due to mishap on railway tracks stands at 24, which is no less severe. While the Forest department has several rules for movement of trains in elephant corridors which includes, limiting the speed of train to maximum 40 to 50 kmph, the norms are considered as headache for the Railways, because it is leading to delays, revenue loss and traffic mismanagement.
Sailendra Kapil, Chief Passenger Transportation Manager of East Coast Railway said, “Proposals for other projects like underpass to ensure free movement of elephants are already under discussion. Once Railways makes arrangements for funding and other prerequisites, we will begin the works.”
The World Wildlife Day 2020 theme 'Sustaining all life on Earth' is aimed at ensuring sustainable use of resources and conservation of land and groundwater to stop biodiversity loss.
All social media platforms were abuzz with the messages to save wildlife on this day and shared informative posts using the hashtag #WorldWildlifeDay.
Union Minister Prakash Javadekar tweeted, "India is proud to have 2,967 tigers, 30,000 elephants, 3,000 single horn rhinos and over 500 lions. This wildlife wealth is a testimony to India's robust ecology & continued government policies for conservation under the leadership of PM @narendramodi."
https://twitter.com/PrakashJavdekar/status/1234681915979886593
To mark the occasion of World Wildlife Day, India's sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik created sand art at Odisha's Puri beach to show his support.
He posted the picture of his sand art on Twitter and captioned, "On #WorldWildlifeDay 2020 'Sustaining all Life on Earth', encompassing all wild animals and plant species as key components of the world's biodiversity. My SandArt with message #SaveOurWildLife at Puri beach in India."
https://twitter.com/sudarsansand/status/1234684146355556354
Tina Ambani also took to social media to share a post and tweeted, "Some of our happiest moments have been spent in the wild, marvelling at the majesty of the animal kingdom. This planet is theirs as much as ours. Let's be the voice of the voiceless - speak out against cruelty, empower conservation."
https://twitter.com/AmbaniTina/status/1234666531306401794
"On this #WorldWildlifeDay, let us strive for a more caring, thoughtful and sustainable relationship with nature," tweeted Kerala Tourism, sharing a photo of elephants in Mattupetty.
https://twitter.com/KeralaTourism/status/1234667309421121541
MyGov Assam wrote, "A thriving wildlife is one of humanity's greatest assets. By making sustainable choices, we can help all lives co-exist on the earth. This #WorldWildlifeDay, let us celebrate the sublime beauty of the wild and raise awareness for its preservation."
https://twitter.com/mygovassam/status/1234669888448299008
(IANS)
Mohammad Akhtar (50) from Janipur in Phulwari Sharif near Patna has two elephants aged 20 and 15 years. Moti and Rani live with him.
Akhtar says elephants came to him as family heritage, and that Moti and Rani are the "children" of those elephants. "I have lived with them since my childhood. The two are my family members," he said, adding there are people who would like him to take care of the animal brought by them.
Akhtar is also chief of the Asian Elephant Rehabilitation and Wildlife Animal Trust (AERAWAT), an NGO. "I gave my 6.25-acre land to the two elephants to ensure that when I am not alive, the animals do not suffer hunger," Akhtar told IANS.
He also revealed how Moti saved his life. "Moti had gone along with a mahout to Bhojpur district's Shahpur area, where he fell ill. I had to rush there to treat him. One day, while I was asleep there, I was woken up by Moti's roar. I saw one man pointing his gun just outside the window. I ran away to save my life," recalls Akhtar.
He alleged that some of his own family members had joined hands with animal smugglers and were trying to sell the elephant by killing him.
Akhtar says he still fears for his life from his own family members because he has registered his land for the two elephants. He has written to Chief the Wildlife Warden and Patna police chief alleging threat to his life from his family members.
The elephant lover also trains mahouts. He says if the government does not intervene to protect the elephant, "the time is not far when we would see the elephant only in books". He says the elephants are headed for villages in search of food.
(IANS)
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Kerala Pregnant Elephant Death: Forest Dept Arrests One Person
The three heavily built wooden chariots of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra are traditionally pulled manually over a distance of three kilometres twice during the nine-day festival of the Trinity at Puri. The Ratha Yatra is scheduled to be held on June 23.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Mohammad Rafiq and Justice Biswajit Mohanty, while disposing of two PIL writ petitions in this regard earlier this week, has made this observation.
"We are inclined to observe that deploying heavy-duty machinery or any other means like elephants, than the men power for pulling the chariots, would obviously obviate the necessity of involving large number of persons, which number could be in many hundreds", the high court observed in its June 9 order.
According to reports, the state government is likely to take a call next week on holding of the Rath Yatra festival at Puri. While the festival is scheduled on June 23, the Bahuda Yatra (return car festival) is fixed for July 1.
Advocate General Ashok Parija had informed the court that the government is fully aware and monitoring the deteriorating coronavirus situation in the state and Rath Yatra decision will be taken on the basis of objective evaluation of the ground situation at an appropriate time.
Not issuing any writ mandamus as prayed by the petitioners, the high court was inclined to hold that it is up to the state government to decide whether or not to allow the religious festival depending on the Coronavirus situation prevalent on the ground.
If however, any such decision is eventually taken, the state government shall ensure strict adherence to the directives issued by the Centre and the States own orders containing additional guidelines, the high court said in its 17-page order.
(PTI)
Read More: Rath Yatra 2020 Cancelled In Odisha, Supreme Court Stalls Festival In Wake Of Covid-19 Pandemic
The Orissa High Court had on June 9 said that the deployment of heavy machinery or elephants for pulling the chariots will obviate the necessity of involving a large number of persons.
"Animal lovers across the state urge the administration not to use elephants for pulling the chariots during the Rath Yatra festival, thus risking the lives of the animals and the people when alternatives arrangements can be made," Jiban Ballav Das, secretary of the Odisha chapter of animal welfare organisation 'People for Animals' said.
He recalled a 2002 incident when an elephant named 'Laxmi' hired for the Rath Yatra died of pneumonia after participating in the festival.
Laxmi died due to lack of proper care and treatment, Das said.
"When people are allowed to congregate in other places for their necessities, why not pull the chariots following COVID-19 safety norms?" he said.
Elephants suffer inhuman conditions in captivity and never forget the treatment meted out to them. Those memories come back when the pachyderms are placed in public with sounds of crackers, gongs and cymbals making them go berserk, Das said.
"We human beings are responsible for creating a man-animal conflict by putting wild elephants in captivity for our necessity," he said.
As a ScheduleI animal under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, elephants should not be kept in captivity unless required under special circumstances with permission from the chief wildlife warden of the state, Das said.
Use of protected animals in any manner is prohibited under the Act. On the other hand, transportation of heavy animals like elephants will subject them to extreme stress, pain and can even cause death, he said.
"Therefore, we urge the state government not to use elephants for pulling the chariots during the Rath Yatra festival," he added.
(PTI)
Read More: No Rath Yatra This Year In Odisha, Supreme Court Stalls Festival In Wake Of Covid-19 Pandemic
Read More: Puri Rath Yatra Cancellation Will Be A Dark Episode In History: Lord Jagannath’s Badagrahi
According to reports, last night the elephants were headed towards the Chandaka forest from Athagarh’s Sukasan jungle by crossing the swelling Mahanadi river when they got stuck on the floodplain near Munduli due to the heavy current of water in the river.
After locals spotted the stranded giants they informed officials at the Damapada forest range. Following that a team has rushed to the spot to rescue the stranded animals.
The Bhagipur forest officials are on the alert and have kept a close watch on the stranded elephants, sources said.
Athagarh: A herd of 18 to 20 elephants trapped on an alluvial plain in the middle of Mahanadi River near Mundali #Odisha pic.twitter.com/Rk0VlhhAwB
— OTV (@otvnews) September 12, 2020
Meanwhile, Sundargarh is still reeling again under the terror of wild elephants.
Few days back at Tiladega, under the Ujjwalpur Forest Reserve, a herd of elephants destroyed crops on a large scale by plundering agricultural fields. The herd is now near Kankerajura and Kulaba villages.
The herd includes female, male elephants and calves. The Forest Rangers have reached the place where the incident has occurred and keeping an eye on the jumbos.
The wide-spread destruction of crop is likely to hit the farmers hard.
Gurudijhatia Matsyapur Railway track and National Highway near Bali were brought to a jumbo halt as a herd of pachyderms were found crossing the road dangerously.
“The herd of elephants often cross the railway tracks dangerously even in front of moving train, putting their and passengers’ lives at stake,” a local resident said.
According to reports, the pachyderms were wrecking havoc in the area for a long time giving a sleepless night to the local residents as well as the officials of Athagarh Forest Division.
The herd of the elephants of several age groups strayed into the residential area from the Chandaka sanctuary. They destroyed paddy crop in several acres of land during the harvest time leaving the farmers of the area distressed.
“We have complained about elephant menace to the forest officials several times, but they seem to be indifferent towards our plight,” a local resident alleged.
(Edited by Ramakant Jena)
Locals said that due to the fear of the jumbos, they were forced to sleep on the terraces of their houses even as the night temperature in the district has been continuously plummeting below 15 degree Celsius.
As per reports, the elephants sneaked into Jharapada village under Binika block last night and damaged three houses. They also ate up over three quintals of rice stored inside one villager's house.
"We have been sleeping on the terrace of our neighbour since the last 12 days. The animals barged into the house last night by damaging the walls and ate over three quintals of rice. We request the district administration to take measures to drive away the elephant from the region," said a villager of Jharpada.
"It's been over 12 days, the jumbos are entering the village repeatedly from the forest and have been damaging property and standing paddy crops in the area," said another villager.
The elephants have caused extensive damage to the crops and thatched houses at Jharapada Sindurpur, Ganeshpur, Keutapada villages under Binika block of the district, added reports.
The pachyderms stay Ulunda forest in the day time and enter the human habitation after the sunset, locals added.
(Edited By Rashmi Ranjan Mohanty)
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The villagers alleged that they have been spending sleepless night for the last 15 days to guard their crops and houses after the 30 jumbos strayed into the area in search of food.
According to reports, the pachyderms entered paddy fields in Ramoda and Routa Munda village destroying standing crops and harvested paddy stocked after cutting.
The herd of elephants have also damaged hundreds of acres of vegetable farming in the area.
The villagers alleged that despite repeated complaints, the forest department is yet to take any concrete steps to drive away the elephants and ensure protection from the pachyderms.
Similarly, villagers in Binika block are also facing the menace as a herd of 60 elephants is running amok in the area for 17 days. The residents also alleged apathy of forest officials towards their plight.
According to reports, life of villagers in Bankighiradi, Sarangpali, Kukudajhuli, Balaranga, Sarguna and Manigaon villages have been on the edge as the marauding jumbos have reportedly caused large-scale crop destruction in the areas. The rampaging wild animals have also destroyed crops on several acres of land.
They had demanded compensation from the department for the losses they have suffered due to the wild elephant menace.
(Edited By Ramakant Biswas)