The sheer brutality of two elephant poachings in Athagarh and Similipal must shake the Odisha government out of its slumber. The audacity with which the hunters sliced off the heads to remove tusks is nothing short of mind-numbing.
Elephants are the best index of a forest’s health, but in Odisha, they are being slaughtered. Not just by the poachers. An apathetic system is contributing to their destruction in equal measures. The killing of an adult tusker in Athagarh forest division and its aftermath revealed the deep rot in the system. Inept handling led to serious law and order situation, and investigation in a critical case was botched up.
The alleged custodial death of a 59-year-old man, detained in connection with the poaching, not only completely derailed the probe but also stymied whatever progress the department could have hoped to achieve, given the current public mood in the region. This is where close to half a dozen elephants were found buried and covered up by the forest staff not so long ago.
Athagarh and its neighbourhood has had a long and chequered history of elephant poaching. There was a time in early 2000s when a mob had stormed a police station to snatch away an accused. The current case had recklessness written all over it, but as usual the axe has fallen on officials lower in the hierarchy. The spate of elephant deaths last year too had been blamed on subordinate staff whereas the seniors got away.
Same with Similipal, where an adult elephant was found with its head sawed off, its tusks gone. It was probably lying dead for a week without raising a stink. Who has been held accountable for it yet? None. Even in the sensational elephant poaching and carcass burning case of last year, the lower-ranked officials took the fall. Come to think of it, Similipal tiger reserve has one of the strongest protection networks in the state. But the state of affairs has gone from bad to worse in last few years.
Rattling out the number of elephant deaths in the state in last 10 years would be an exercise of repetition and futility. But quietly and surely, the land of Gajapatis is earning notoriety for being the elephant graveyard of the country.
Much of the malaise can be attributed to lack of commitment at the higher levels of forest administration. Poor ground intelligence networks, disconnect with local communities and absence of fear of action has made the officers in the divisions complacent. To make matters worse, accountability is rarely fixed.
What it points at is more serious – lawlessness has permeated the forests of Odisha. Poachers are running wild but no one seems to have a clue. Just collate the elephant deaths for last one year and the horrific scenario will blow up in the face of the government. Someone has to stem the rot.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, known for his love of wildlife, has always batted for strong conservation and sustainable practices. However, his administration seems to have allowed that reputation to come under cloud.
Naveen, for quite some time, has been sending his officers of his choice to take stock of development projects on the ground – be it temple complexes, heritage sites or social infrastructure. It is about time he did the same to save wildlife. After all, these sanctuaries are no less than temples. Or, are they!
Siba Mohanty
Resident Editor, Odisha
sibamohanty@newindianexpress.com