Human-elephant battle intensifies but once more in Hassan

Dyavamma, 74, of Kanaguppe village in Belur taluk of Hassan district, couldn’t sleep on February 12. One in all her cows had not returned house by night that day because it normally would after grazing. The subsequent day, round 4 a.m., she left house in quest of her cow. She labored as an agricultural labourer in estates to help her household and in addition reared cows.

As she didn’t return house even after many hours, her husband and family bought fearful. They went in quest of her. To their shock, the previous girl was discovered lifeless. Given the situation of her physique, the villagers understood that she had died in an elephant assault. Contemplating the collection of comparable incidents within the taluk and neighbouring taluks for the previous a number of years, it was not tough for them to guess the reason for her dying.

The villagers staged a protest, demanded truthful compensation for the household of the deceased and needed all of the elephants roaming in elements of Hassan district captured and relocated. The senior officers of the Hassan district administration and the Forest Division had a tricky time dealing with the group. Belur MLA H.Okay. Suresh of the opposition BJP additionally joined the protest and took the officers to job for failing to cease elephants from coming into human habitat.

Yet another tragedy

Even because the individuals had been reeling below this tragedy, one other individual died in related circumstances. Anil Kumar, 28, was getting back from an property at Byadane village in Belur taluk on the night of February 24 when he encountered a wild elephant. It trampled him to dying. His mom, Parvathamma, misplaced her solely son and breadwinner of the household.

Following the incident, the native individuals began an indefinite protest on the spot, refusing to raise the physique. The subsequent day, individuals of many villages round joined the protest and noticed a bandh at Arehalli, a hobli centre.

The basis trigger

For the final 4 many years, elements of Sakaleshpur, Alur, Belur and Arakalgud taluks, which lie within the foothills of the Western Ghats, have been going through human-elephant battle. The native individuals consider that elephants coming into human habitats started after the development of the Hemavathi reservoir within the late Seventies. The development of the dam and the submergence of huge areas led to the fragmentation of forest cowl. The railway line, freeway and enlargement of plantation space disturbed the elephant hall. The elephants started to raid paddy fields and go to estates in quest of meals.

The villagers suffered the affect of human-elephant battle within the Eighties, forcing the Forest Division to launch a drive to seize and relocate elephants. The primary such drive was held in 1987, as per the Forest Division information. Through the years, the variety of elephants has elevated. There is no such thing as a information on the precise variety of elephants roaming in elements of Hassan districts. Nevertheless, the quantity could possibly be greater than 100, unfold over three or 4 teams. Apart from them, just a few tuskers roam individually. The lone tuskers trigger bother, and it’s tough for the division to maintain monitor of them.

In lots of villages of Belur and Sakaleshpur taluks, there have been situations of tuskers taking strolls in the primary streets in daylight, leaving the individuals traumatised. The mother and father are fearful concerning the security of their youngsters. Just a few among the many lifeless within the elephant assaults are youngsters. There are incidents the place schoolchildren encounter elephants on their strategy to college. Through the exams, the district administration takes further warning to make sure the security of kids.

The human-elephant battle has affected each people and elephants. Since 1987, greater than 100 individuals have died in elephant assaults. Alternatively, greater than 40 elephants have died because of the battle since 2003. Because the variety of elephants is growing, the incidents of battle are additionally on the rise. The farmers are dropping their crops. Many planters have misplaced their well-grown espresso crops. As soon as a gaggle of elephants passes by means of an property, tons of of crops are misplaced.

Demand for relocation

Repeatedly, the growers and native individuals have demanded seize and relocation of all elephants roaming within the district. They argue that a lot of the elephants that roam within the district have turn out to be accustomed to human habitats.

The truth is, just a few wildlife consultants additionally advisable this. M.Okay. Appaiah, retired Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, and Ajay A. Desai, an knowledgeable on elephants, did a research on the human-elephant battle of Hassan and submitted a report back to the State authorities in 2007. The report noticed that the elephant habitat, which is contiguous from Nagarhole as much as the Cauvery River, grew to become fragmented and patchy within the space bordering between Kodagu and Hassan districts. They advisable relocating all the elephant inhabitants from the world.

Earlier, the division did an experiment by relocating a few elephants to far-off locations after putting in radio collars on them. Curiously, they returned to their native place just a few days later. The native individuals need the elephants to be shifted to such a spot from the place they can not return. The division has additionally captured a number of elephants, significantly these inflicting bother, and shifted them to elephant camps.

Dangerous conditions

The Forest Division workers usually encounter difficulties whereas dealing with the herd. Venkatesh, who was popularly often called Aane Venkatesh for his function in capturing elephants for radio-collaring, died in an elephant assault throughout an elephant seize operation in August, 2023.

Tamed (kumki) elephants play a major function in capturing wild elephants. Arjuna, the elephant recognized for carrying howdah throughout Mysuru Dasara celebrations, died on December 4, 2023, after being attacked by a wild elephant throughout one such operation.

The members of the elephant job power and the youths who’re a part of the Fast Response Crew face dangerous conditions throughout their job of monitoring the elephants. Contemplating the collection of deaths and the menace brought about to the local people, the Forest Division can be considering the relocation of all the elephant inhabitants from the human habitats of Hassan and the neighbouring districts of Chikkamagaluru and Kodagu.

Minister’s go to

Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre visited Belur taluk on March 3 and visited the household of Anil, who died in an elephant assault final week. On this event, the Minister assured the native folks that the federal government would seize and relocate all wild elephants from the three districts to the elephant camp proposed to return up in Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary.

The Minister, in response to a query within the Legislative Council on March 4, stated that over 200 elephants that had been roaming outdoors forest areas can be returned to the forest. The camp is anticipated to return up in 2,000 acres. The place can be developed such that elephants may get adequate meals and water. The minister is anticipating ₹100 crore within the finances for this venture.

At current, as per the final census, there are 6,395 elephants in Karnataka. That is the very best in any state within the nation. In tune with the quantity, the battle can be excessive. The division has dug trenches and put in tentacle fencing, photo voltaic fencing, and railway barricades to limit the animal motion. The division additionally performed a conference involving consultants from overseas to debate the difficulty. The Minister stated he was anticipating strategies from a staff of consultants on the Indian Institute of Science on measures to manage the elephant inhabitants.