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

Buying land to return it to nature

Ananda Banerjee,  Live Mint

Some government, non-government bodies, individuals are trying to push back against relentless development

WTI purchased 26 acres of land along the Thirunelli-Kudrakote corridor in Kerala to restore the degraded habitat
and protect wildlife. Photo courtesy WTI

Given the relentless pace at which wildlife habitat is being devoured by the march of development, some government agencies, non-governmental organizations and individuals have been trying to push back—by buying land and letting nature reclaim it.

The past decade has seen a conscious effort to secure wildlife habitats to protect forests.
A recent exercise involved the purchase of 26 acres along the Thirunelli-Kudrakote wildlife corridor in the Wayanad district of Kerala that comes under the watch of the non-profit Wildlife Trust of India (WTI). In the past few months, camera traps have recorded three tigers crossing the corridor.

The land was purchased by WTI with the help of the World Land Trust (WTL), IUCN-Netherlands and the Elephant Family to restore the degraded habitat and protect wildlife along the stretch. The 38 families in four villages in the area were relocated to an alternative site. The exercise cost in excess of Rs.2 crore.

Corridors between two sanctuaries (protected areas) are absolutely critical to wildlife for species dispersal, allowing exchange of individuals between populations and preventing inbreeding, among other ecosystem linkages. The land bought by WTI is gradually being handed over to the Kerala forest department for incorporating it as part of the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary.

The Thirunelli-Kudrakote corridor connects the Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary (18,100 hectares) bordering Karnataka and Kerala, with the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (11,000 hectares) and the Wayanad north division (21,400 hectares) in Kerala. The stretch is part of a larger swathe of about 12,000 sq. km, with an elephant population of more than 6,300. This by itself constitutes one-third of India’s endangered Asian elephant population, which keeps moving up and down the corridor for food and social bonding.

Buying land back from the villagers has not only secured the corridor for the safe passage of elephants and other wild animals, but also helped reduce human-elephant conflict in the area.

“The people are able to harvest and are spared sleepless nights guarding their crop and houses from elephants,” said Sandeep Tiwari, deputy director, WTI. “The initiatives have also helped in improving the lives of these families as they now have access to education and healthcare centres and opening up employment opportunities.”

How much forest is cut down for development needs? The government’s 11th Plan (2007-12) was particularly severe in terms of loss of forest cover, according to a report by research and activist group Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). Land was diverted for development projects with scant consideration for wildlife, water and rural communities, it said.

The CSE study looked at five key sectors—thermal power, hydropower, cement, iron and steel, and mining—that have impacted forests. The report said 8,284 projects were granted forest clearance and 197,907.61 hectares of forest land diverted between 2007 and 2011. In the past three decades, 815,534.48 hectares of forest have been cleared for 23,404 projects (see graphic).

India is urbanizing rapidly, and there is heavy pressure on land and natural resources as the population increases. According to a study by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham), the number of towns has grown from 5,161 to 7,935 in the decade ended 2011, and this may near 10,000 by 2030. Demographic projections show that by then, the proportion of people in urban areas may swell to more than double that in rural areas.

The loss of forest habitat is a reason for declining wildlife populations across the planet. In this scenario, buying land to secure wildlife habitats has given conservationists a method to arrest habitat loss. As renowned conservation biologist Richard Cowling said: “Conservation is 10% science and 90% negotiation.”

Acquiring land for conservation is not new. In the book Buying Nature, authors Sally K. Fairfax, Lauren Gwin, Mary Ann King, Leigh Raymond and Laura A. Watt document the process of land acquisition as a conservation strategy in the US in the last 200 years.
One such current initiative is the American Prairie Reserve, a collaborative effort involving conservation agencies such as the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the National Geographic Society that aims to acquire land in north-eastern Montana in the US to create a seamless protected area.

“Imagine a grassland reserve of three million acres—a wildlife spectacle that rivals the Serengeti and an awe-inspiring place for you and your children to explore,” says the American Prairie Reserve website.

“Imagine helping to build a national treasure.”

Eric Dinerstein, lead scientist and vice-president, conservation science, WWF, said: “By 2022, I dream of 10,000 bison thundering across 1,000,000 acres with wolves in hot pursuit.”

Back in India, between 2001 and 2003, WTI managed to secure the Kollegal or Edayarhalli–Doddasampige elephant corridor for about Rs.70 lakh. The elephant range to the east of the Biligirirangan Hills had been divided by a long strip of cultivation that cut off the Biligiriranga Swamy Temple (BRT) Wildlife Sanctuary from the forests of the Kollegal division. A narrow corridor now exists between the villages of Kurubaradoddi and Aandipalya along the Kollegal-Satyamangalam highway.

WTI acquired 25.4 acres for the corridor in Aandipalya village from 17 landowners. The land has been transferred to the Karnataka forest department through a formal memorandum of understanding (MoU) to maintain it as an elephant corridor, ensuring connectivity and incorporating it as part of the BRT Wildlife Sanctuary. This is the first ever privately bought corridor to be added to a protected areas in Asia.

In the North-East, with financial support from WLT, which pioneered the buy-an-acre concept of acquiring land for conservation, WTI is working with the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC), the Meghalaya state forest department and the local community to secure wildlife corridors and the restore wildlife habitat.

As much as “4,150 acres have been secured with notification of 10 Village Reserve Forests,” said WTI’s Tiwari.

WWF-India is keen to follow the model, but rocketing land prices are a stumbling block.
“We are looking across various landscapes to acquire land and hand it over to the forest department,” said Ravi Singh, WWF-India’s secretary general. “Whatever we are doing to get forest land back is being done discreetly as any overt signs may send the land prices spiralling.”

Land for Project Tiger

Project Tiger, the government’s flagship conservation programme that turns 40 years old this month, has secured 2% of the country’s geographical area as tiger reserves. The area under the project gets the highest legal protection under the Wildlife Act. The central government’s programme not only secures the existence of the tiger, but also a gamut of species that thrives in those areas.

Launched in April 1973 in nine reserves across an area of approximately 14,000 sq. km, the project has expanded, especially in the past decade, from 25 tiger reserves in 2001 to 43 now. Project Tiger has secured an area of 66,274.68 sq. km across 17 states in the country.

Under the project, the central government provides 100% monetary assistance to states for strengthening protection; creating basic infrastructure for management; habitat development and restoration; water resources; eco-development programmes; village relocation; use of information technology (IT) in crime detection; monitoring of tiger populations; and carrying out estimations of tigers, co-predators and prey animals among others.

Private forests

Apart from government and non-government initiatives, a few individuals too have acquired land adjoining wildlife sanctuaries across the country and then allowed natural forest regrowth to take place as part of conservation. Most of them refused to speak on record.

One of them is Romulus Whitaker, popularly known as the Snake Man of India for his specialization in reptiles.

Whitaker set up the Agumbe Rainforest Research Station (ARRS) in Karnataka as a field station for the study of rainforest ecology in 2005 on a four-acre plot surrounded by forests. The land was bought with money willed to him by his mother, Doris Norden Chattopadhyaya.

Agumbe is a village in the Western Ghats in Shimoga where, in 1971, Whitaker spotted his first king cobra. He’d always wanted to set up a research base in the area.

In 2005, Whitaker also received the prestigious Whitley Fund for Nature award, which helped him set up basic infrastructure and convert an old farmhouse into a full-fledged forest research base.
“During the setting up of the field station, we had visits from leopards as well as a couple of king cobras, which to us ‘certified’ the place as the ideal field station,” he recalled.
Today, ARRS has 10 acres of land thanks to additional acquisitions and recently came under the administration of the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust, which Whitaker set up in the 1980s to study reptiles.

Wildernest, in the Chorla Ghat area of Goa, has secured 450 acres and is perhaps one of the largest private reserve corridors for forests across two sanctuaries as well as two states—between the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary in Goa and Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary in Karnataka. The Wildernest team runs two independent research stations like ARRS, one in the Chorla ghats and the other at Kuveshi near Castle Rock.

The Sai Sanctuary located in the Western Ghats is another example of a private forest reserve. It’s home to large carnivores such as tigers and leopards, along with elephants and 300 species of birds.

From the initial purchase of 55 acres of private forested lands in 1991, the reserve managed by the Sai Sanctuary Trust has grown to more than 300 acres and today offers a buffer to the National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries along its borders—Brahmagiri, Nagarhole and Bandipur.

Securing land, especially degraded forests and leaving them for nature to reclaim, is a sustainable model to restore forests and protect biodiversity. But it’s an uphill task with land costs surging the moment there’s a hint of demand. Also, in a burgeoning economy in which development is the buzzword, it can be a struggle to find the right balance between conservation and economic growth imperatives.

Source: http://www.livemint.com/Politics/df1ep278rRHJ7JaeI6ohrL/Buying-land-to-return-it-to-nature.html

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

PM urged to announce special package to address man-animal conflict

TNN | Apr 19, 2013
NAGPUR: Following unprecedented rise in man-animal conflict in which eight villagers were mauled by a problem leopard in 25 days, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has been urged to announce a special package to implement 'alternate livelihood programme' for minor forest produce (MFP) and livestock dependent families living in Tadoba landscape and wildlife corridors.

Satpuda Foundation, which is a member of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL), has demanded a special package from the Prime Minister, who is also the chairman of NBWL. In a letter to the PMO on Wednesday, the Satpuda Foundation chief Kishor Rithe said that there are at least 189 spots in TATR landscape where there is presence of big cats.

Explaining the problem, Rithe said that communities living in Tadoba's buffer villages and wildlife corridors mostly depend on MFP like bamboo, mahua flowers and tendu leaves for livelihood. Wild animals, who are not so familiar with humans, tend to attack villagers who enter the forest to collect these forest produce or to graze livestock.

From 2007 to 2013, around 83 human deaths and around 5,861 cattle kill cases have been recorded in Chandrapur district alone, as against 223 human and 21,775 cattle kills in the entire state.

The Satpuda Foundation has sought PMO's intervention to implement preventive steps rather than simply paying compensation.

"It is high time, that a special package to solve man-animal conflict is implemented under alternate livelihood programme for MFP," said Rithe. The Satpuda Foundation will also write to MLAs and MPs in Vidarbha to gather support to design and implement such package.

The copy of the letter has also been sent to Jayanthi Natarajan, Union environment and forest minister, and Montek Singh Ahluwalia, deputy chairman of Planning Commission.

Trail of death

* March 24: Anusaya Shende, Usrala Chak (Saoli)
* April 6: Dhrupada Madavi, Sadagad (Saoli)
* Leopard caged and released in Girghat (TATR)
* April 10: Tukaram Dharne and Malan Munghate ((Adegaon)
* April 10: (Wrong leopard caged)
* April 11: Lalita Pendam (Pathri)
* April 12: Nileema Kotrange (Chorgaon)
* April 17: Kirti Katkar (Payali)
* April 18: Gopika Kalsarpe (Kitali)

(Six deaths after release of problem leopard in TATR. On April 16 Laijabai Fukat was killed by a tiger in Ranbodi in Umred-Karhandla)

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/PM-urged-to-announce-special-package-to-address-man-animal-conflict/articleshow/19623792.cms

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

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

Human settlements, a threat to Sathyamangalam tiger reserve

P. OPPILI

Unauthorised temples, new resorts disturbing the tranquillity

The presence of a large number of people in
core areas disrupts movement of animals

Unauthorised temples, new resorts and makeshift shops inside the core area are major threats the newly formed Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve is facing.

The State government announced the formation of the fourth tiger reserve in the State through a notification, issued on March 15 this year.

Members of the Tamil Nadu Green Movement pointed out that several unauthorised places of worship were found inside the tiger reserve. There are three main temples – Karuvannayan temple near Nandhipuram, Bannariamman temple Bannari and Madeswara temple in Kongalli. The three temples are under the control of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment Board. Apart from them, several unauthorised temples are found inside the core area, say the members.

People visiting these temples camp there, even cook, and travel in large numbers into the core areas in trucks. Their movement creates a lot of disturbance to the wildlife. The State government must immediately relocate the unauthorised temples from the core areas, the members pointed out.

Another important issue is the springing up of new resorts in the core areas. S. Jayachandran of the Tamil Nadu Green Movement said Kongalli, Mavallam, Araiya Palayam and Hasanur are the places where the resorts are coming up. There were more than 200 resorts inside the STR.

Man-animal conflict

In the long run, it will lead to man-animal conflict, he said. The department officials have to immediately promulgate the ecologically sensitive zone to stop any more resorts in the core areas, he said.

Environmentalists also pointed out that during festival season, people set up shops, stay in the forests and defecate in the core tiger reserve area. Temporary shops have come up right on the elephant corridors located between Susilkuttail and Bannari. The Forest department authorities have to intervene and take action under the Forest Conservation Act of 1980, the activists said.

‘Make them partners’

Raman Sukumar, Professor and Chairman, Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Sciences, who began his research on elephants in the early 1980s, said the tiger population had increased substantially in the Sathyamangalam area. A good number of settlements over a century old were in Hasanur, Talamalai, Geddasal, Chikkahalli, Neydalapuram and Kadambur, to name a few. People in these settlements co-existed with the tigers over time. These people should be made partners in the management of the tiger reserve.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/human-settlements-a-threat-to-sathyamangalam-tiger-reserve/article4560872.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

Mudumalai Tiger Reserve reels under drought

D. RADHAKRISHNAN
Unprecedented drought is keeping Forest Department officials on their toes in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) near here.

Threatened by drought: A sambar in the extremely dry
Moyar part of the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve
near Udhagamandalam. -Photo: Special Arrangement

Enquiries made by The Hindu revealed that hitherto, only certain pockets would be affected during the dry months, but this year, practically the entire Reserve extending to over 321 square kilometres wears a parched look.

The situation has become a cause for concern to the Forest Department and environmentalists as the conditions could trigger an outbreak of bushfires. Migration of animals in search of water and fresh vegetation has begun.

Conservationist P.J.Vasanthan said that he was seeing the MTR in such a state for the first time.

Some of the animals he saw were conspicuously emaciated. Many from the Moyar part of the Reserve are coming to the Channel to quench their thirst which flows from Maravakandy to the Moyar Dam. Pointing out that sighting of wild animals in the area has become frequent, he regretted that unscrupulous tour operators were exploiting the situation. In the process, they are disturbing the animals. The prevailing weather conditions have made the surroundings extremely dry and leafless.

Since the situation in the Sigur and Gudalur forests adjoining the MTR was also equally bad, the human-wild animal conflict has escalated and instances of elephants damaging houses are being frequently reported.

Stating that earlier, only about five per cent of the total area were badly affected during the dry season, the Deputy Director, MTR

A.Ameer Haja lamented that this year, even perennial water sources have dried up.

In view of the prevailing situation, a plan of action to deal with any exigency has been put in place.

Officials, including 100 fire watchers, have been instructed to be in a state of alert round the clock. Since the fringe areas along the road which cuts through the reserve are highly vulnerable to bushfires, highway patrol has been intensified.

Five vehicles have been permanently stationed in the Theppakadu, Kargudi, Masinagudy, Mudumalai and Nellakotai ranges of the Reserve to enable the officials to respond quickly to emergencies.

Water tankers have also been stationed at convenient places. In addition to the fire fighting equipment in the MTR, special tools to control fires have been procured from Kerala. Fire lines have been extended. In February, four bushfires had broken out but all of them had been put out before they could cause much damage.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/mudumalai-tiger-reserve-reels-under-drought/article4520805.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

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

Greens seek active hill conservation authority

K A Shaji, TNN | Mar 12, 2013
COIMBATORE: Two weeks have gone since district collector M Karunagaran issued an order banning illegal constructions in villages notified under the Hill Area Conservation Authority (HACA). The order has had minimal impact. Meanwhile, Madras high court has sought affidavits from the forest department and the district administration in two weeks on a public interest litigation that sought all illegal constructions by a spiritual centre in Boluvampatti to be demolished. In the same time, green groups in the region have come out in open demanding immediate steps for the strengthening of the HACA which, according to them, can ease man-animal conflict in the region.

Tamil Nadu Green Movement president Dr V Jeevanandan and general secretary A Rangarajan said they written a letter to chief minister J Jayalalithaa requesting a total revamp of HCA. "Non-compliance of HACA regulations is triggering human-animal conflict in the region. District administration must act to preserve elephant paths and habitat in the Coimbatore region,'' says Jeevanandan.

According to activist Mohammed Saleem, Coimbatore forests come under Elephant Reserve No 8 notified by the ministry of environment and forests. This means, village lands abutting the elephant reserves are ecologically sensitive. "HACA and the district administration must not allow indiscriminate land use change, road building and other construction in these lands. PWD, TWAD board, highways and TANGEDCO must limit activities in HACA-notified villages,'' he says.

The collector's order on illegal constructions mentions villages including Devarayapuram, Kalikka Naykkan Palayam, Ikkarai Boluvampatti, Mathampatti, Theethipalayam, Thondamuthur, Perur Chettipalayam, Sundakkamuthur, Ettimadai, Alandurai, Madhavarayapuram, Vellimalaipattanam, Narasipuram, Pooluvampatti, Mavuthampatti, Velliyankadu, Thekkampatti, Odanthurai, Chinnathadagam, Veerapandi, Somayampalayam, Nellithurai, Sikkadasampalayam, Sirumugai, Periyapothu, Vettaikaranpudur, Kaliyapauram, Kottur, Angalakurichi, Thurayur, Jallipatti, Ardhanaripalayam and Aanamalai. According to Rangarajan, land use patterns have been violated in these villages and non-agricultural activities including setting up of industries, recreational firms, educational institutions and residential complexes are replacing agriculture. "HACA has failed in all respects," says Jeevanandam. "Government must stop all non-forestry activity in these villages and revise Coimbatore master plan giving prime consideration to ecology of the region,'' he adds.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/coimbatore/Greens-seek-active-hill-conservation-authority/articleshow/18917230.cms