According to The Status of Elephants in India 2022-23 report by the Wildlife Institute of India, India has seen a nearly 20% decline in its elephant population between 2017 and 2022.
| Elephants are known as “engineers of forests” due to their vital ecological role. By uprooting trees, dispersing seeds, and creating waterholes, they shape habitats, promote biodiversity, and maintain the balance of forest ecosystems. |
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Key Challenges to Elephant Survival
1. Habitat Encroachment and Fragmentation
- Loss of Corridors: Out of 88 identified elephant corridors, many are encroached by human settlements, roads, and railway lines, disrupting migration routes.
- Development Pressure: Human habitations, tea plantations, mines, and infrastructure development in northeastern regions have fragmented habitats, making survival precarious.
2. Human-Elephant Conflict
- Rising Casualties: Increased interaction with human settlements has led to steep rises in fatalities—605 humans killed in 2022–23 and 300 elephants killed in the last three years.
- Use of Brutal Methods: Instances like
- In Kerala, a pregnant elephant tragically died after consuming a coconut filled with explosives meant for wild boars.
- In Odisha, electrified traps intended for wild boars caused the deaths of elephants, including young calves.
3. Train Accidents
- Over 200 elephants have died in train collisions over the past decade due to ineffective use of over-bridges designed for their safe crossing.
4. Poaching and Illegal Traps
- Elephants are often victims of traps set for wild boars or targeted for ivory, leading to painful injuries and deaths. For example, three elephants died in Odisha in electrified traps.
5. Food Scarcity and Explosives
- Elephants suffer from injuries caused by explosives hidden in food, as seen in Kerala, where a pregnant elephant died after consuming a coconut stuffed with explosives.
| Hulla Drive: Hulla drives involve using loud noises, flaming torches, or other scare tactics to chase elephants away from human settlements. |
Way Forward
- Strengthening Corridor Management:
- Protect and restore elephant corridors by addressing encroachments to ensure safe migratory paths.
- Build eco-bridges and underpasses to allow elephants to cross railways and roads without risk.
- Modernizing Conflict Resolution:
- Replace harmful “hulla” drives with non-invasive methods like drones and buffer zones between human settlements and elephant habitats.
- Train forest officials and local communities in humane methods of conflict resolution to reduce harm to elephants.
- Legislative and Policy Action:
- Enforce stricter laws against poaching and encroachments into elephant habitats.
- Recognize and legally protect elephant corridors as essential ecological zones.
- Public Awareness and Education:
- Raise awareness about the ecological significance of elephants and their role in maintaining biodiversity.
- Encourage coexistence through community-driven conservation initiatives.
- Cross-Border Cooperation:
- Collaborate with neighboring countries to ensure the protection of migratory elephant populations.
- Share successful strategies for habitat restoration and conflict mitigation.
- Addressing Conservation Focus Gaps:
- Elevate the priority given to elephant conservation to match efforts seen in projects for tigers and Asiatic lions, ensuring balanced attention to all endangered species.
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Conclusion
Elephants, revered as cultural icons and keystone species, are integral to India’s ecological balance. A holistic, humane approach emphasizing habitat conservation, modern conflict management, and community involvement is essential to secure a future for these gentle giants while reducing human-wildlife conflicts.
December 2, 2024
