Whole village to be moved from elephant corridor in India

Villagers voluntarily relocate from elephant corridor 

The region is home to some 1800 elephants

May 2013. Marking a significant milestone in efforts to secure a crucial elephant corridor in northeast India, residents of an entire village have literally put down in stone their willingness to relocate voluntarily outside the corridor to provide a clear passage for elephants.

Modern traditional houses

The foundation stone for a model ethnic village was laid down, marking the site of relocation of the Ram Terang villagers from the Kalapahar Doigurung Elephant Corridor. The village will have traditional style houses reflecting the culture of the area, but it will also be equipped with modern facilities and necessities such as electricity, health care and education.

Unveiling the foundation stone in the relocated area

Laying the foundation stone, Rechno Haising Ronghang, the 40th King of Karbi Anglong said, "This is a new step that will benefit wildlife as well as people. There should be no barrier when it comes to wildlife conservation. We need to think of it as something that is necessary for human survival too." He congratulated the team for the initiative that will benefit the people of the corridor areas.

People of the village celebrating their impending move

The Kalapahar-Doigurung Elephant Corridor connects Kalapahar with Doigurung-Nambor Wildlife Sanctuary and Kaziranga National Park. For 30 years the village of Ram Terang, named after the head of the village, has been situated in the middle of the corridor. As a result, human-elephant conflicts have been common and with regular loss of property and life for both the elephants and the humans.

1800 elephants

"There are about 1800 elephants in the Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong landscape making it the habitat of about 8% of India's elephants. Securing this corridor is not just about the right of passage for these elephants but also to relieve local people of losses caused due to conflicts", said Dr Bhaskar Choudhury, Regional Head (Assam).

The process of course, reaching up to this milestone was not an easy one. It began about three years ago.

"The villagers were very hesitant at first when we approached them with the idea of relocation, and naturally so, as it involved their complete overhaul of their livelihoods. However, eventually they understood the need and benefits of the efforts for animals as well as themselves. Many individuals and agencies played a very crucial role in achieving this, and we are extremely grateful to all of them," said Dilip Deori, Assistant Manager, WTI, while expressing his appreciation for the support and cooperation being shown by the local community and organisations.

The project was supported by Elephant Family, IUCN - Netherlands and Japan Tiger and Elephant Fund, and implemented by Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), to assist the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council and Assam Forest Department in wildlife conservation in the region.

Source: http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/elephant-village013.html#cr

Jumbos driven back to forest after 12-hour struggle

S. RAMESH | ERODE, May 8, 2013
A herd of four tuskers that strayed more than 20 km. into the mainland near Punjai Puliyampatti in Erode district was driven back into the forests after a 12-hour long struggle.

The tuskers, which could have come out of the forests in search of water and food in the wee hours of Tuesday, were spotted by the farmers around 5 a.m. near Nambiyur.

Farmers alerted the forest officials immediately.

The elephants entered into the agricultural lands in Modarpalayam village near Nambiyur after crossing three main roads – Mettupalayam road, Punjai Puliyampatti – Sathyamangalam highway and Punjai Puliyampatti – Kavilipalayam road and the Lower Bhavani project canal.

The village was located about 20 km. away from the forest boundary.

The forest department mounted a massive operation involving more than 100 personnel, a good number of farmers and police personnel to drive the elephants back into the jungles.

Senior officials led by Conservator of Forests, Erode Circle, A. Venkatesh , rushed to the spot and co-ordinated the exercise.

“We had a hard time because a large number of people gathered to get a glimpse of the tuskers and our exercise. We had to allocate 25 of our personnel just to manage the crowd. We had to make sure that elephants were not provoked by the crowd,” Mr. Venkatesh said.

Officials said the herd, which was often spotted near the Bhavanisagar dam site, was not used to travel long into the mainland. This was the second time the herd strayed into the villages that were located far away from the forests, they pointed out.

Forest officials used fire crackers and drums to chase the elephants back into the forests.

“We also set fire to the coconut leaves and firewood to drive the elephants back,” Mr. Venkatesh said.

The forest department had created temporary waterholes in more than 10 places and filling them with water on a regular basis. “There is adequate food and water available in the forests.

The recent rains rejuvenated the natural water sources in the jungles,” he added.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-miscellaneous/jumbos-driven-back-to-forest-after-12hour-struggle/article4694322.ece

Voter trampled by elephant

A person, on his way to cast his vote, was trampled to death by an elephant at Phalguni village in Mudigere taluk on Sunday morning.

The deceased Nasir Khan (60), an agriculture labourer, had left his residence after telling his wife that he was going out to vote. He is survived by his wife. The couple had no children.

Deputy Conservator of Forests Raviraj Narayan visited the spot after receiving the information.

He told The Hindu that the elephant had trampled him to death and threw a wooden log on his body.

“His wife told us that he went out around 6.30 a.m. to cast his vote. As he did not return till 10 a.m., people went to search for him. Later they found him dead,” he said.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/voter-trampled-by-elephant/article4687935.ece

Railway engineers suggest steps to minimise elephant deaths

With elephants continuing to perish after being hit by trains, railway engineers have suggested multi-pronged strategy to minimise the casualties.

At a day-long fifth annual general meeting and safety seminar of the East Coast Railway Engineers’ Association (ECREA) here on Sunday, its members expressed concern over elephant deaths on railway tracks.

“Night vision cameras can be installed on locomotives to detect the movement of elephants or other animals within the range of one km to minimise the deaths. The instruments have night and day vision capability that allows them to operate in very poor lighting conditions,” said Gopal Chandra Nayak, secretary (headquarter) of ECoREA. Mr. Nayak said it was essential to obtain detail information on the movement of elephants and seasonal dispersal patterns in order to protect and manage elephant population effectively.

“Introduction of ‘go slow zones’ can be thought of. In many cases, including some the accidents this year, accidents have happened because the trains are in high speed. Go slow zones in accident-prone areas can be introduced with warning signs to alert the drivers,” he suggested adding that there were limitations in the measures as it would affect running of trains.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-otherstates/railway-engineers-suggest-steps-to-minimise-elephant-deaths/article4688132.ece

Herd of wild elephants kills one, destroys houses in Assam

PTI | May 5, 2013

The jumbos entered a village in Numaligarh area
creating panic among the people by trampling
one person to death and going on a rampage
pulling down the thatch houses on Saturday night.

GUWAHATI: A man was trampled to death and 15 houses damaged by a herd of wild elephants in upper Assam's Golaghat district, official sources said today.

The jumbos entered a village in Numaligarh area creating panic among the people by trampling one person to death and going on a rampage pulling down the thatch houses last night, the sources said.

The deceased has been identified as Durga Koya. Forest department personnel rushed to the village and were making efforts to guide the pachyderms to a nearby forest, they said.

With panic prevailing in the area as the elephants were still roaming about freely, the local people have urged the forest department to provide them security from the animals.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Herd-of-wild-elephants-kills-one-destroys-houses-in-Assam/articleshow/19897138.cms

Collector warns against violating elephant guidelines

District Collector M.C. Mohandas has warned against the violation of official guidelines when displaying elephants during temple festivals and other public functions.

The Collector said on Wednesday that new temple festivals or poorams would not be given permission to display elephants. An order issued by the Forest and Wild Life Department say only those festivals where elephants were used till 2012 will be allowed to display elephants from this year.

Also, permission would not be granted for more elephants than those used in festivals in 2012, the Collector said. Elephant race too would not be permitted in any case. The officials of the Forest, Revenue and Police Departments should examine the copies of the data book before the parade of elephants. Fitness certificate for elephants was compulsory, he said.

Mr. Mohandas said elephants would not be allowed to parade between 11 a.m. and 3.30 p.m. “In unavoidable cases, elephants should be displayed under shade of a canopy, and drinking water should be given frequently,” he said. The Collector has the discriminatory powers to give permission for elephant display between 11 a.m. and 3.30 p.m.

Not more than 6 hours

The guidelines also say that a single elephant should not be used for more than six hours continuously a day. An elephant can be used for a maximum of eight hours in two sessions of four hours a day. Mr. Mohandas said an elephant used for display at night should not be used again during the next day. He asked festival organisers to ensure that elephants were given water and food before and after the parade.

He also asked the organisers to ensure that people were kept at least three metres away from the elephants. “Mahouts should not be allowed to work after consuming alcohol at any cost.”

Festival committees should secure an insurance of at least Rs.25 lakh for 72 hours when elephants are used, the guidelines say. Elephants should be bound with knee chain and cross chain during display.

District-level monitoring committee should examine the availability of enough space if more than 15 elephants are used for display. The Collector said Divisional Forest Officers should enter in the data book all incidents caused by the elephants, including problems and damage to property. “The district monitoring panel should prepare a list of problematic elephants, and such elephants should not be allowed to be used for festivals.” Mr. Mohandas said.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/collector-warns-against-violating-elephant-guidelines/article4652680.ece

Elephant electrocuted near Kuppam

Accidentally trapped in a live-wire fence erected to keep off wild bores
The mysterious deaths of wild elephants continues unabated in the Kaundinya sanctuary at the confluence of the Andhra, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka border, about 125 kms from here in the Palamaner-V.Kota-Kuppam tract.

In the most recent case, forest officials found the carcass of a full-grown female elephant on Monday at Vengampalle in Byreddypalle mandal. After conflicting reports as to the cause of the pachyderm’s death, further reports said that the autopsy conducted by veterinary surgeons in the presence of forest officials on Tuesday indicated that the jumbo must have died after coming into contact with a live-wire.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-andhrapradesh/elephant-electrocuted-near-kuppam/article4648926.ece

Before the last trumpet

Sreedhar Vijayakrishnan | Down To Earth

Captive elephants of Kerala suffer because there is no proper policy for their management and welfare

Out of the 100-odd elephant attacks reported during the
last festive season of 2011-2012, at least a dozen were
the result of the animal being in the state of musth

It is that time of the year again when the streets of Kerala echo with clinking of chains. Massive caparisoned tuskers, some carrying idols, rush from one festival to the other.

The association of these "gentle giants", as they are known to writers and poets, with humans has been there for centuries. The earliest possible evidence of taming elephants in India goes back to the Indus valley civilization. Most of our ancient texts, from Ramayana to Arthashastra, talk about elephants being part of wars and arenas. There are also texts like Matangalila detailing the qualities an elephant should possess to be part of the royal stable.

They used to be a symbol of pomp and pride in the past. Today they are seen as a source of revenue. About 70 per cent elephants in the state are owned by individuals who rent out the animal for festivals and processions for huge sums of money. Temple committees and fans of “celebrity” elephants compete to line up the best elephants, and in their passionate involvement, welfare of the animal takes a backseat. They are so extravagant that they are even ready to pay six digit figures to get their favourite elephant for a day, making captive elephant management a multi-million rupee business. Except for a few temples, most prefer male elephants, specifically tuskers, for ceremonies, which may be attributed to their aesthetic value. Ironically, it is the male elephant that most often goes out on a rampage and creates havoc.

Every year, between December and May, which is the festive season in Kerala, an elephant takes part in 100 to 120 festivals extending over 150-200 days. Assuming that the average distance between each festival is 50 km, an elephant travels more than 5,000 km during the period. Worse, most elephants are transported by trucks, which adds to their psychological trauma. In the last three to four years, at least half a dozen elephants were injured or killed in truck accidents. Besides, this is the time when bull elephants enter a state of increased testosterone known as musth and show highly aggressive behaviour. Out of the 100-odd elephant attacks reported during the last festive season of 2011-2012, at least a dozen were the result of the animal being in the state of musth. Photographs of these elephants that featured in major dailies clearly showed temporal gland secretion, a clear indication of musth. Despite such conspicuous evidence, the law and its guardians remain blindfolded. At least 100 people were injured in these attacks; the maximum number of injuries were reported at the much renowned Thrissur Pooram temple festival. Enquiries and public questionnaires were conducted, but to no avail.

This year also similar mishaps have been reported. On January 27, three innocent women were killed by a much celebrated tusker of Kerala, Thechikottukavu Ramachandran. It is also the tallest captive elephant in the country. The incident happened about 10 days after his becoming musth. It was a good move by the forest department to “arrest” the elephant and keep it under custody till further notification. The latest fatal attack happened on February 7, when Vaazhakkalayil Mothi Prasad killed a girl at Alappuzha. Between January 1 and the first week of February, there have been 26 incidents of elephants running amok all over Kerala.

Elephant attacks are not inevitable and can be prevented with conscious involvement and sensibility.

To bring atrocities towards captive elephants to an end, the Kerala Captive Elephant Management rules were framed in 2003. Though first of its kind in India and perhaps the world, the Act like most other government policies is gathering dust. Insertion of microchips for monitoring movement and health conditions of elephants, and ensuring vehicular transportation are probably the only rules that have been implemented so far. However, it seems as if these rules were implemented to minimise the time taken from one location to another, and thereby moving the pachyderm to more workplaces.

The rules state that no elephant in musth shall be put to work and has to be secured properly. This is hardly followed. The number of elephants in musth state that wreak havoc during festivals is evidence enough. Although revised in December 2012, the new rules seem to be much relaxed. For example, clause (16) states sedatives may be administered to elephants if they are nervous. This allows owners to administer sedatives to musth elephants and put them to work.

Although the raison d’être of the rules was betterment of pachyderm management in captivity, lack of its proper enforcement is still a matter of concern. Unless that is ensured, the elephantine problem will only exasperate.

Though there are a very few traditional mahouts left in Kerala, they do not see a ray of hope anymore in captive elephant management. Their revelations of the clandestine operations happening in the field are appalling. Death toll due to intestinal obstruction and other digestive problems has increased from one or two in a year to a whopping 10. This certainly must be a result of potential increase in physiological and psychological stress. Most mahouts admit working continuously for 35-40 days during peak festive season, without a break, which means sleepless nights for the animal. Some mahouts also disclose the administration of anti-androgen tablets to elephants to arrest musth. This seems to have now led to drastic changes in the musth patterns or even absence of musth in several bulls. Absence of musth causes an imbalance in the physiological cycle of the animal, thereby leading to more distress.

Current state minister of forests, K B Ganesh Kumar, has been part of captive elephant management sector for a long time in various capacities. He must implement the management rules aptly to address the problem. Keeping a check on the number of festivals that an elephant is taken for and the distance it travels will also contribute to mitigating conflict. This can be ensured with appropriate decisions from the Forests and Wildlife Department.

Interestingly in October 2010, the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests declared the Asian elephant as National Heritage Animal. While the wild counterparts are dwindling in numbers due to habitat fragmentation and poaching, the captive ones are vanishing too. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that a day does not come when the national heritage animal is confined to postal stamps, wall papers and posts on social networking sites.

Sreedhar Vijayakrishnan works with WCS-India Programme, National Centre for Biological Sciences in Bengaluru

Source: http://www.downtoearth.org.in/content/last-trumpet

How elephants see the world

ANI | April 20, 2013

Washington: 12 to 14 year old students from East Side Middle School in New York City are attempting to put an end to the elephant crisis, which is at an all time high with more and more demand for ivory taking more and more lives.

Think Elephants International, a not-for-profit organization striving to promote elephant conservation through scientific research, education programming and international collaborations, today announced its latest study, "Visual Cues Given by Humans are Not Sufficient for Asian Elephants (Elephas Maximus) to Find Hidden Food." 

Designed in collaboration with and co-authored by students from East Side Middle School, the study revealed that elephants are not able to recognize visual cues provided by humans, although they are more responsive to vocal commands.

These findings may directly impact protocols for future efforts to conserve elephants, which are in danger of extinction in this century due to increased poaching and human/elephant conflict.

The publication of this paper is the climax of a three-year endeavor to create a comprehensive middle school curriculum that educates and engages young people directly in elephant and other wildlife conservation.

The study was carried out at Think Elephants' field site in northern Thailand, and students participated via webcam conversation and direct web-links to the elephant camp.

According to Joshua Plotnik, PhD, founder and CEO of Think Elephants, "if elephants are not primarily using sight to navigate their natural environment, human-elephant conflict mitigation techniques must consider what elephants' main sensory modalities are and how elephants think so that they might be attracted or deterred effectively as a situation requires. The loss of natural habitat, poaching for ivory, and human-elephant conflict are serious threats to the sustainability of elephants in the wild. Put simply, we will be without elephants, and many other species in the wild, in less than 50 years if the world does not act."

The Think Elephants study tested whether captive elephants, wild animals in relatively close contact with humans, could follow visual, social cues (pointing and gazing) to find food hidden in one of two buckets.

The elephants failed at this task, but were able to follow vocal commands telling them which bucket contained the food.

These results suggest that elephants may navigate their physical world in ways that primates and dogs do not.

Based on the results of this study, Dr. Plotnik suggests further attention to research on elephant behavior and an increase in educational programming are needed, particularly in Asia where the market for ivory is so strong.

The study has been published in the journal PLOS ONE.

Source: http://zeenews.india.com/news/eco-news/how-elephants-see-the-world_843388.html

Workshop offers tips and tricks on peaceful coexistence with elephants

Participants learn ways to avoid confrontation with animals

• Over 45 members of non-governmental organisations and self-help groups participate
• People have been practicing for centuries, methods of avoiding conflicts with elephants
• Primary purpose of training is reducing incidents leading to death or injury

Friends of the gentle giants:Master trainers wear elephant
masks during a workshop on coexistence with elephants,
in Krishnagiri on Friday. - Photo: N. Bashkaran

A three-day residential workshop on coexistence with elephants for master trainers began here on Friday.

It is being conducted by the Zoo Outreach Organisation, Coimbatore in association with SWORD, a local non-governmental organisation in Krishnagiri.

Over 45 members of NGOs, staff and self-help group leaders including 15 women are taking part in the programme.

Dr. B.A. Daniel, Conservation Educator, Zoo Outreach Organisation, Coimbatore was the resource person for the workshop.

He told The Hindu that this workshop was the first of its kind being held in the district.

The training programme had been necessitated due to the increasing incidents of human-elephant conflict reported in many parts of the nation.

To address the issue, the Zoo Outreach Organisation (ZOO) decided to take the emphasis off “mechanistic solutions for conflict” and put it on coexistence.

It was true that there was no permanent or all-encompassing solution to Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC) due to its complexity and variety but that the approach of ZOO would be through an age-old and imperfect method, coexistence.

He said that the coexistence is not a new method of living with elephants; people have been doing it for centuries.

People have to rely too much on the government to come to their rescue like chasing away the animal or shooting down psychotic rogues, offering advice and paying compensation, but they would not be able to bring a human breadwinner back to life or restore a permanently damaged body or mind.

Keeping all these in mind, the ZOOs approach is to teach methods of learning ways to avoid confrontation and promote self protection, be willing to exchange some old habits and beliefs for survival and thus reduce the incidence of injury and death due to Human-Elephant Conflict.

Hence, it is the need of the hour to teach the people to get along with the elephants and salvage property and crops. Primary purpose of the training was mitigation, and reduction of incidents of death or injury.

The master trainers are trained to encourage thinking about these teaching tools, not just for elephants, but for other species and issues as well. They should spread the message they have learnt in the workshop and try to mitigate the sufferings of the farmers, Dr. Daniel said.

The training programme was sponsored by US Fish and Wildlife Service, he said.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/workshop-offers-tips-and-tricks-on-peaceful-coexistence-with-elephants/article4616223.ece

Elephant poached in Buxa, poison pellet in chest

TNN | Apr 8, 2013
KOLKATA: A full-grown tusker was poached in North Bengal's Buxa Tiger Reserve late on Saturday. This is the second such incident in the forest in a span of little over a month.

Forest guards recovered the carcass of the 25-year-old elephant from the South Raidhak range, with its tusks missing. BTR field director R P Saini said a poison-coated pellet, fired from a country-made gun, pierced through its chest. "Probably, gangs from the northeast are involved in the poaching," he added.

Chief wildlife warden N C Bahuguna, who has left for the spot, said that such pellets are used to shoo away elephants when they come close to human settlements. "Since a poison-coated pellet has been found, chances of poaching are definitely strong. Further details can only be given after a proper inquiry," he said.

On February 28, an elephant was killed in a similar manner in the Panibari range of Buxa forest.

In June, last year, some miscreants took out the tusks of a jumbo after it succumbed to its ailments at the Khuttimari forest in North Bengal. The tusks were later recovered from a water body near Khuklung forest village, about 1.5 kilometres from the spot where the tusker was found dead.

The tusks were kept in a container and drowned in a waterbody, so that the department officials could not find it. While one tusk weighed around 23 kilos, the other was 20 kilos heavy.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Elephant-poached-in-Buxa-poison-pellet-in-chest/articleshow/19436200.cms

Elephants enter Bhavanisagar town

STAFF REPORTER | ERODE, April 9, 2013
As most of the waterholes and ponds in the Sathyamangalam wildlife sanctuary have gone dry in summer, elephants are coming out of the forests in large numbers, looking for water and food.

On Sunday morning, a herd of elephants strayed out from the reserve forests and entered Bhavanisagar town after raiding crops and quenching their thirst at Lower Bhavani Project canal. The herd comprising five elephants entered the Bhavanisagar Dam park before roaming around various parts of the town. Residents alerted forest personnel, who rushed to the spot and initiated steps to drive the elephants back into the forests. It took more than three hours for the personnel and people in the area to send the jumbos back into the jungle.

The district has been witnessing similar incidents for the past few months as most of the water sources in the forests have gone dry following the monsoon failure. It has become very common to spot elephants raiding the crops in Bhavanisagar, Punjai Puliyampatti, TN Palayam and Anthiyur blocks. An adult elephant requires at least 200 to 250 kg of food and 100 to 150 litres of water a day. Once the elephants come out of their habitat and get used to the food crops, it becomes a habit to them.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/elephants-enter-bhavanisagar-town/article4597161.ece

Over 12 jumbos die in Mudumalai

DC | B. Ravichandran | 06th Apr 2013
Ooty: While more than a dozen wild jumbos were said to have died due to dehydration and shortage of fodder in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) in recent times, the greens here accuse the MTR administration of poor water management and lack of care for animal health, for the jumbos’ death.

These are not happy times for MTR as the dry weather has been prolonging since December. But, it appears that the MTR administration and chief wildlife warden (CWW) in the state failed to take up the challenge posed by the testing weather to protect the jumbos.

While the official sources in MTR put the jumbo toll around 12, in recent times, S. Jaya­chandran, joint secretary of Tamil Nadu Green Movement (TNGM) said more than 20 jumbos, including the two that died on Friday at the buffer zone, have died over the past three months. “Nobody denies that MTR has been experiencing drought. But, wildlife management can be enhanced. Though the state government and the chief minister show keen interest in wildlife conservation, it is the bureaucrats who lack commitment and mess up things and there is no transparency on animal deaths.”

Though officials in MTR attributed natural causes for the jumbos’ death, it is a fact that they died due to dehydration, lack of fodder and infections caused by contaminated water in slushy pools.

It is learnt that the administration does not have sufficient facilities to provide tanker water in all the vulnerable areas. The TNGM would seek the intervention of the judiciary if the forest officials in Chennai failed to act to set right things in MTR for healthy animal life.

Jayachandran said MTR should learn lessons from the adjacent Bandi­pur tiger reserve in Kar­na­taka where water management is good and the animals are taken care of.

As officials in MTR declined to talk to the media, citing instructions from the CWW, sources said the infighting and factions among the top officials and lack of planning were the reasons for the present situation.

A highly-placed forest department official told DC that the CWW would be instructed to look into the issue.

Source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com/130406/news-current-affairs/article/over-12-jumbos-die-mudumalai

Elephants break into Kerala farm to drink clean water

THIRUVANATHAPURAM: Wild elephants have been breaking into a state government-owned livestock farm in Kerala's popular hill station Munnar to drink clean water as the water in the town's Mattupetty dam has become polluted, an official said.

"We have brought this to the attention of the government who in turn have asked the Kerala State Pollution Control Board to find out what can be done to clean up the dam," a Kerala state biodiversity board (KSBB) official told IANS.

The Kerala Livestock Development Board, which owns the farm, has registered a complaint with KSBB that wild elephants have been smashing water pipes in the farm to drink clean water.

The pollution in the picturesque Mattupetty dam is caused by diesel or kerosene-run motor boats that are used to ferry tourists, an official said.

Munnar town is in Idukki district and is located 1,450 metre above sea level in the Western Ghats.

Elephant expert Jacob Cheeran said that on an average an elephant requires 125 litres of water to drink and more than 200 litres to throw on its body every day, and the tuskers prefer good quality of water to drink.

Chairman of the state pollution control board K. Sajeevan said that he would visit Munnar next week and speak to the officials of the farm and see what can be done to keep the water bodies there free from pollution.

The livestock farm, an Indo-Swiss project, was set up in Munnar in 1963.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/pollution/Elephants-break-into-Kerala-farm-to-drink-clean-water/articleshow/19412974.cms

Elephants come out in search of water

R. VIMAL KUMAR
With many of the water troughs inside the Anamalai Tiger Reserve getting dried in the summer, elephant moving out of the forests in search of water in Amaravathi Dam area, has become a regular sight.

The herds are providing a visual treat to tourists visiting the place.

An official of the Forest Department said that the elephants need water to quench thirst and for bathing so as to maintain the body heat at requisite levels.

They frequently cross the Udumalpet-Munnar road stretch in search of water. It causes anxious moments both to passersby and Forest Department officials.

The department has strengthened the patrolling in the area to ensure that no motorist provokes the animals or take photographs by getting closer to them.

District Forest Officer M. Dhanaraju told The Hindu that the department was taking steps to fill the five water troughs inside the areas of Anamalai Tiger Reserve.

This would keep the elephants inside the forests itself, he said.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/elephants-come-out-in-search-of-water/article4572002.ece

Jumbos get new home at Usilampatti?

Express News Service - MADURAI 01st April 2013
The reserve forests of Usilampatti now have a new entrant to its habitat, wild elephants, according a recent census by wildlife activists and environmentalists. The elephants, which till recently were never spotted in the Usilampatti region, have now migrated from their usual habitat in Sattur along the western ghats, said B Ramesh of the Netaji Snake Trust, which was a part of the census. He attributed the migration to the abundant resources, especially natural vegetation, in the region.

“The last survey, done in 2010, only included the endemic species like the spotted deer, the great Indian Sambhar and the common langur. However, this year, the 30-member group, including volunteers from the Nature Conservation Club, conducted an in-depth survey last week and found footprints and dung of elephants,” he added.

Ramesh and his team again then camped in the forest to confirm the movement of wild elephants -- said to be a first in the region. A herd of four elephants would have migrated here searching for water and other resources, Ramesh speculated.  Interestingly, the team also found pug marks of leopards - another species not common to the Usilampatti reserves.

“Though drought is prevailing in the entire district, the Usilampatti reserves have become dense and coarse, thus attracting a number of species. The entire vast expanse is ideal for the elephants,” Ramesh added. However, it was unclear whether the jumbos have made the Usilampatti forests their home.

“The elephants that were spotted might belong to a single herd as elephants are constantly on the move. So, those found in the Usilampatti reserve would have just migrated and could even leave after spending a week or more,” said elephant expert and veterinarian Dr Kalaivanan. The elephants could have migrated from Theni or from other parts along the western ghats, he added.

The census report has been submitted to the Forest Department in Madurai, which now has to  confirm the findings. The census team also requested the Forest Department to place camera traps with heat sensing technology in the reserve forests to further track such data. When contacted, district forest officer A S Marimuthu said that the authorities would soon visit the Usilampatti reserve to confirm the findings.

Source: http://newindianexpress.com/states/tamil_nadu/article1525047.ece

Elephant dies in train accident

BHUBANESWAR, March 22, 2013
An elephant died after being hit by a goods train near Ghatagon in Keonjhar district early on Thursday.

“The elephant was possibly a part of a herd. When collision took place it was isolated from the herd. The accident took place at around 4.15 a.m.,” Keonjhar Divisional Forest Officer Ajay Kumar Jena said.

The dead elephant was an adult female jumbo. The accident occurred between Nilakantheswar and Harichandanpur station.

Earlier incidents

It may be recalled here that elephants were mowed down by the Chennai-bound Coromandel Express in Ganjam district on December 30 last. Prior to that in August 2012, two elephants were killed in train accidents in Keonjhar district. As many as 12 elephants died in train accidents during the past two years.

The railway track was laid right through the forested region of Keonjhar district which has a good elephant population. About 60 to 70 km stretch of railway line in Keonjahr is considered to be vulnerable zone for elephants.

“The investigation is in preliminary stage. We have not registered a case against any person. As the investigation would progress, a case could be registered,” said Mr. Jena.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-otherstates/elephant-dies-in-train-accident/article4536811.ece

Elephants enter residential area

Banana, mango trees damaged; watcher injured

V. Ramanathan of Kovaipudur area showing the
banana trees that the elephants destroyed at his residence
on Sunday.— PHOTO: S. SIVA SARAVANAN

Elephants entered Press Enclave, a residential area near Kovaipudur, on Sunday.

They returned to the nearby forest only after the Forest Department staff rushed to the spot and chased the animals using firecrackers.

The operation also saw Shanmugam, an Anti-Poaching Watcher, injure his right thumb while bursting firecrackers.

The Department sources said they received a call from the residents saying a herd and a lone elephant had entered the area.

While the herd of three moved towards Arivoli Nagar, the lone, male elephant moved into Press Enclave, damaged banana and mango trees there.

V. Ramanathan, one of the residents, said the lone tusker entered his house around 3 a.m. by breaking one of the three gates.

It feasted on the banana trees for over 20 minutes. The elephant also pulled down a branch of the mango tree.

It moved into his house after entering two of his neighbours’ houses.

A little after the animal entered his house, the Forest Department staff came there to chase the pachyderm.

The staff sounded a siren and then fired firecrackers, which saw the elephant running towards the nearby forest.

It was the first time, in the recent past, that the locality had witnessed the elephants’ entry, Mr. Ramanathan added.

The Department sources also said Mr. Shanmugam underwent a surgery at a private hospital earlier in the day and was doing fine.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/elephants-enter-residential-area/article4520789.ece

Governments boost support for sharks, elephants

BANGKOK: A major meeting on the plight of endangered species wrapped up on Thursday with a victory for shark conservationists and increased pressure on countries to curb rampant illegal trade in ivory.

The illegal ivory trade was at the top of the agenda with
eight nations accused of failing to do enough to
tackle the problem.

In what was hailed as a "historic day" for the world's oldest predator, protection for the oceanic whitetip shark, the porbeagle, three types of hammerhead and the manta ray won final approval by the 178-member Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

On the final day of more than a week of talks in the Thai capital Bangkok, Japan along with China and other nations that support shark fishing lost an 11th-hour bid to overturn the landmark deal.

"Shark populations are in freefall, but have been thrown a lifeline today - CITES has finally listened to the scientists," said Glenn Sant of wildlife trade protection group Traffic.

Rather than a complete ban, countries will be required to regulate trade by issuing export permits to ensure the sustainability of sharks in the wild, otherwise they could face sanctions by members of CITES, a global treaty that protects some 35,000 species.

The United States hailed the agreement as a "historic moment in shark and ray conservation".

In total, more than 300 threatened species won increased protection at the meeting, including dozens of types of turtles and timber.

The illegal ivory trade was at the top of the agenda with eight nations accused of failing to do enough to tackle the problem.

Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda as well as transit countries Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, and top markets China and Thailand were identified as making insufficient efforts to curb the trade.

But they avoided sanctions after submitting -- or pledging to submit -- draft action plans that must be finalised by May, with the possibility that sanctions would be revisited if they do not make progress by July 2014.

Under the convention, member states can halt trading with offender countries in the 35,000 species covered by the convention.

CITES General Secretary John Scanlon said such measures were a "last resort" and should only be imposed "where there's a clear failure to comply and no intention to comply".

"We have not got to that point in my view. At this point we actually have states that are engaged," he said.

Wildlife group WWF welcomed the increased pressure on the eight countries.

"After years of inaction, governments today put those countries failing to regulate the ivory trade on watch, a move that will help stem the unfettered slaughter of thousands of African elephants," said WWF's Carlos Drews.

The eight nations defended themselves in the face of the accusations, which led media to dub them the "Gang of Eight".

"We are not denying that we have an active seaport and an active airport, and that we have challenges," said Kenyan delegate Patrick Omondi.

"We should not be lumped together as a Gang of Eight. Transit and source countries have unique challenges," he said. "We feel the focus should be on the demand side."

Illicit trade in ivory has doubled since 2007 and more than tripled over the past 15 years, according to wildlife groups, which estimate that only about 420,000 to 650,000 elephants remain in Africa.

Conservationists fear that 2012 was an even deadlier year than 2011, when an estimated 25,000 African elephants were killed.

In an effort to better track the illicit commerce, CITES members adopted new measures under which countries making large seizures of illegal ivory will be required to conduct DNA tests to determine their origin.

Scanlon rejected suggestions that the action had fallen short of expectations.

"We've seen an unprecedented level of international cooperation," he said, comparing the fight against ivory trade to the battle against trafficking in drugs, arms and people.

"Wildlife crime is in the same league as these sorts of crimes. You've got serious transnational organised criminals involved in this -- they are hard to crack. We haven't cracked them in any area," he said.

Rhinos were also a hot topic at the meeting, with Vietnam and Mozambique urged to do more to fight the illegal trade, which saw some 668 rhinos slaughtered in 2012.

But a US-led push for a ban on international trade in polar bears was rejected amid fears it would distract from the bigger threat of global warming.

The proposal had divided conservationists, who agree that the main risk to the world's largest carnivorous land animal comes from habitat loss but differ over whether international trade also puts the bears at risk of extinction.

The next CITES meeting will be held in South Africa in 2016.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Governments-boost-support-for-sharks-elephants/articleshow/18972688.cms

Call of the wild

K A Shaji, TNN | Mar 12, 2013
COIMBATORE: IT'S a problem few Indian cities have to face and it's only likely to increase in the coming years. As the city grew in the last decade, residential colonies have sprouted in the close vicinity of the forests of the Western Ghats. These residential pockets are far too close to the jungles through which the traditional migratory paths of wild elephants that travel between the Silent Valley in Kerala and Sathyamangalam forests on the Eastern Ghats. Confused jumbos often stray into human habitations resulting in panic, widespread destruction of property and loss of lives.

Statistics with the forest department reveals that 81 people have been trampled to death by wild elephants since 2011 in the Coimbatore region. Colonies on the forest fringes including Kovaipudur, Madukarai, Thondamuthur, Ettimadai, Siruvani, Narsipuram, Boluvampatti, Maruthamalai, Vadavalli, Thudiyalur and Periyanaickenpalayam live in fear of elephant attacks. Unfortunately, these are the fringe areas of Coimbatore where many of new middle classes are headed to in search of homes as property prices skyrocket in the inner city areas.

Human-animal conflict is likely to be a major cause of worry for city fathers as Coimbatore expands in the next decade, according to urban planners and environmentalists. "Forest department is undertaking many steps including digging elephant proof trenches, creating fodder banks within the forests and establishing kumki camps to minimize the impact of elephant attacks. But they are unlikely to be effective in the wake of organised and systematic encroachment on forest lands by the super rich. Traditional migratory paths are getting blocked and habitats are getting disturbed. Regulating construction on forest areas ought to be the top priority to minimize elephant attacks,'' says K Mohanraj of Tamil Nadu Green Movement.

Illegal constructions are dime a dozen in the forest fringes in violation of laws. Environmentalists say this is because most of the activity has been sanctioned by politicians and bureaucrats. While small scale farmers who use torches and stones to scare elephants from their fields face flak for living in proximity to jungles, large scale violations by religious and social groups are ignored, they say. "The issue of construction in the traditional elephant migratory corridors must be addressed urgently as it is a major factor that contributes to human-elephant conflict in Coimbatore,'' says G Sivasubramanian, assistant manager, Western Ghats Landscape Programme under World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)-India. Elephant habitat in Coimbatore region is under threat from these development activities. "The issues concerning forests and wildlife in Coimbatore region is unique because 70% of the forests here are in hill slopes. It is a narrow corridor that connects Sathyamangalam forest and the Silent Valley in the neighbouring Palakkad district, which is the traditional migratory path for elephants. Any disturbance leads to elephants venturing out of the forest,'' adds Sivasubramanian.

According to Mohanraj, over 30 high profile institutions including private universities, research centres, ashrams, schools and even a factory has come up in the region without the approval of the Hill Area Conservation Authority. All of them have been built on patta land right on elephants' migratory corridor. There are over 190 brick kilns in the active migratory corridor in the Thadagam valley.

Now, realtors too are active in the hills close to Coimbatore eying land to make a bargain out of the city's rapid expansion. Traditional farmers are selling off farmland. Big mansions and other buildings are coming up and the new entrants lack the skills to co-exist with wild elephants, green activists say. In Kovaipudur-Madukarai region, locals blame a huge housing complex under construction for disrupting the elephant migratory path and inviting the fury of elephants on locals.

The erratic monsoon and spread of invasive weeds have affected the food security of elephants within the forests. "Elephants behaviour has changed over the years as they are stressed out due to constant human interference in what was once their territory. These issues require not just forest department's efforts but other departments including agriculture, revenue, highways, electricity, mining and police should also pitch in to resolve the problem,'' argues Sivasubramanian.

Tribal rights activists and scholar C R Bijoy wants the forest department also under the scanner. He argues that "large-scale clearance of natural forests initially by forest department to plant silver oaks, eucalyptus, teak and acacia also contributed to the situation apart from invasion by weeds like parthenium and lantana". The ban by forest department on harvesting bamboo by tribals led to their natural death as those people had ensured regeneration in the past. Big estates have cleared forests and these all have led to the depletion of fodder for elephants. The forest department's use of tamarind, jaggery, salt etc to attract elephants for tourists and later by resorts also resulted in a situation where elephants raid houses in search of these, says Bijoy.

According to forest department, 58 villages on the outskirts of the city face threat from elephants. The issue requires long-term and short-term strategies. Hill and forest areas must be exempted from construction activities and efforts are needed to reinstate the migratory paths. Maximum disturbances to elephants must be avoided, say forest officials. Only a coordinated action involving different governmental agencies can ensure tough action against violators, officials argue.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/coimbatore/Call-of-the-wild/articleshow/18917197.cms