BHUBANESWAR: Odisha has earned the dubious distinction of being the worst-hit state in terms of human-elephant conflict in the country. The state recorded the highest number of jumbo deaths due to electrocution and poaching in the last five years, from 2019-20 to 2023-24. As for human casualties due to conflict with elephants reported within this period, Odisha’s was the highest among all the elephant range states.
As per the statistics of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), furnished in Parliament recently, 392 cases of jumbo electrocution were reported in 16 states between 2019-20 and 2023-24, of which Odisha accounts for more than 15%.
The state lost 61 elephants to electrocution, making it the highest for any of the elephant-range states in this period. Odisha was followed by Assam at 56 and Karnataka at 52 such cases. Most of the electrocution cases have been reported from the eastern Indian state in the last two years. While 26 cases of electrocution were reported in 2022-23, another 15 cases happened in 2023-24.
Similarly, the state accounts for nearly 34% of poaching cases detected in the country in the last five years, the statistics suggest. Of the 50 cases of jumbo poaching reported in India between 2019-20 and 2023-24, 17 are from Odisha, 14 from Meghalaya, while 10 have been reported in Tamil Nadu. Nagaland recorded two cases of poaching and West Bengal one during the five-year period.
Apart from poaching and electrocution, the state recorded one of the highest numbers of elephant deaths in train accidents in this period. With 16 jumbo deaths between 2019-20 and 2023-24, Odisha stands second among states that have reported the highest number of elephant casualties due to train collisions. Assam tops the list with 24 such cases, while neighbouring West Bengal is in third place with 10 cases.
Odisha is also the worst-hit when it comes to human casualties due to conflict with elephants in the last five years. Out of 2,829 such cases reported in the country between 2019-20 and 2023-24, 624 are from Odisha. Jharkhand with 474 cases is in the second spot, followed by Assam with 383 cases. Chhattisgarh and Tamil Nadu have also reported 303 and 256 cases, respectively.
To check incidences of human-elephant conflict, the Odisha government hiked its compassionate grant for victims of jumbo attack and crop depredation substantially last year. Yet, the highest 154 human casualties were reported in the state in 2023-24.
The management of wildlife, including mitigation and management of human-elephant conflict, is primarily the responsibility of the state governments and Union territories.
State forest officials said a slew of measures, including enhancement of security in protected areas and their surroundings have been taken in recent times to deal with the menace of poaching and electrocution. Besides, they said forest field staff are also engaging with local communities for awareness, monitoring of elephant movement and to caution locals to avoid human-animal conflict to prevent damage or loss of life and property.
Conservationists, however, opined that Odisha needs to revisit its protection and conflict management strategy. “People living near forest areas are indispensable stakeholders in this problem and removing their antagonism towards the gentle giants is what needs to be done in the first place,” said retired IFS officer and trustee of Save Elephant Foundation Trust, Jitasatru Mohanty.
Mohanty said though the wide gap between the actual loss and compassionate payment given to affected people has been narrowed down to some extent, it still persists and can be addressed only through proper compensation.
Elephant Reserves
Critical habitats are notified as Elephant Reserve for focus and synergy in conservation and to reduce conflict. As of now, 33 Elephant Reserves have been established in 14 elephant states