BENGALURU: Elephant population is rising and there is a need to strengthen corridors, but the existing path connecting Kanakapura to Bengaluru which elephants are using is not an elephant corridor, said Prof Raman Sukumar, noted elephant expert from the Indian Institute of Science.
He said, “The path is too small. It is 45 metres in length and 38 metres wide.” He said that he was also against the construction of the overpass for elephants, as it will lead to conflicts. He was speaking at the Bangalore Conclave. He was speaking on the topic- ‘Elephant Landscapes in Transition: Connectivity and Long-Term Coexistence’. He said, as there is a need to create co-existence zones, agricultural and human habitation areas should be looked as no elephant zones.
Citing the recent incident of the death of a 60-year-old man near Rajarajeshwari Medical College, Sukumar said, it has been observed that only males are straying out using these small patches to raid crops and enter human habitations, which is leading to more conflict. There is a need for a stringent policy to protect corridors. “Scientific based methods for relocating animals, based on past experiences need to be adopted for conservation of the species and forest areas,” he said.
The IISc is working with the forest department on a five-year landscape study to mitigate conflict with elephants. Under this some basic concerns are being addressed- do elephants have adequate fodder and water, areas where their population is increasing, are their migratory routes blocked, which mitigation measure works best, why are elephants getting more aggressive and should groups be translocated.