DHENKANAL: The Forest department has adopted a multi-pronged strategy to reduce man-animal conflicts and disburse compensation for crop loss within 15 days instead of 2-3 months as earlier. As many as 74 elephants have died in the district since 2015. During the period, 112 people were killed by elephants.
The Forest department has disbursed Rs 1 crore as compensation for crop loss in Parjang and Mahavir road forest range. While Dhenkanal had 174 elephants as per the 2017 census, the number has now increased to 300 with the animals entering the district from Keonjhar, Jajpur and Chandaka in Odisha and neighbouring Jharkhand.
Sources said elephants move to Parjang and Mahavir road in the months of November and December as the regions provide them conducive environment and adequate food and water. At present, 60 elephants are roaming in Babandha and Kadalipal and their movement is being tracked by the forest personnel.
DFO Prakash Chand Gogineni said as many as 45 poachers have been arrested under Wildlife Protection Act in the district in the last three months. He said poaching of elephants has gone down in Hindol, Parjang, Odapada and Mahavir road due to better enforcement by personnel of Forest department.
In a bid to keep a watch on movement of elephants to reduce man-animal conflicts, the Forest department has procured a bus called ‘Airavat’ at a cost of Rs 21 lakh. The vehicle, equipped with instruments to track the pachyderms, will be flagged off on October 15.