India is home to more than half of the Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) in the wild and the rest are in the neighboring countries. They have lived alongside humans for over 4,000 years.
Elephant is the largest existing herbivore land animal and lives up to 70 years in the wild. It is considered to be the keystone species and listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 1986. It is India’s National Heritage Animal since 2010.The number of elephants has significantly dropped and they could mostly be extinct by the end of the next few decades. Only about 40,000-50,000 elephants are left in the wild, the rest are in captivity.
In 1979, there were 2,044 elephants in Odisha, in the dense forests of Dhenkanal, Deogarh, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Sambalpur, Angul, Sundargarh and Cuttack. In the 2017 census, their number had dropped to 1,976. In a statement in the Odisha Assembly, the Forest and Environment Minister had disclosed that 246 elephants had died in Odisha between 2016-2017 and 2018-2019 due to accidental electrocution, disease, accidents involving trains and road vehicles, and of natural and other causes. An Elephant Task Force was constituted in 2010, and it prepared a report entitled “Gajah: Securing the Future for Elephants in India’. The Task Force recommended to constitute a National Elephant Conservation Authority (NECA) in line with National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
Another important recommendation was to declare the entire elephant ranges (habitat areas) as eco-sensitive zones under Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
In fact the Indian Board for Wildlife in its 21st meeting held on 21.01.2002 adopted the “Wildlife Conservation Startegy-2002” wherein it was envisaged that areas falling within 10 km of the boundaries of the sanctuaries and national parks should be notified as eco-sensitive zones. Further, it suggested to protect elephant corridors by declaring Community Reserves or Conservation Reserves under Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 or Community Forest under the Forest Rights Act, 2006. It also suggested to create ‘no go’ and ‘slow go’ zones in the elephant reserves for the regulation of development activities.
As a solution to elephant-man conflict the Task Force recommended to build hard and soft barriers (trenches and fences), anti-depredation squads, alternative livelihood and compensation to the affected people, set up man-elephant conflict task force.
The Odisha Government officially identified 14 elephant corridors in January 2010, covering over 870 sq. km and including three inter-State corridors – with West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, but those were not notified. The National Green Tribunal had directed the Government of Odisha in 2020 to notify the proposed 14 corridors. The State Board for Wildlife, Odisha in its meeting held on 11.02.2014 proposed to conduct a study on the carrying capacity of elephant habitats in Odisha.
The Asian Nature Conservation Foundation (ANCF), c/o Innovation Centre, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore was engaged to conduct the study covering three notified elephant reserve (ER) areas and Chandaka wildlife Sanctuary along with study on feasibility of elephant corridor between Lakhary valley and Mahendragiri.
The ANCF prepared the report “Elephant Carrying Capacity of Odisha’s Forests” in January 2018. The report observed that the elephant population in Odisha remains almost constant between 1,800 to 2,000 since 1979. The trends indicate that perhaps about 1,700 to 1,800 elephants can mostly be sustained and managed within larger forested landscapes of Odisha with tolerable levels of elephant-human conflicts.
Excess elephants migrate to neighbouring States of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal.
The dispersal of a large number of elephants from Chandaka during 2006 indicates that it could not possibly support the population prior to dispersal. The report further observes that major elephant population is distributed in 14 forest divisions of the State. The Mayurbhanj ER possibly holds more elephants.
It recommends rationalisation of the boundaries of the notified ERs, extension of the Sambalpur ER as well as Mahanadi ER areas, and capacity building of the forest department. Odisha had also identified five elephant reserves, and notified three of them: the Mahanadi Reserve (8,036 sq. km), the Mayurbhanj Reserve (7,043 sq. km) and the the Sambalpur Reserve (5,846 sq. km); the South Odisha Reserve (4,216 sq. km) and the Baitarani Reserve (10,516 sq. km) have not been notified.
The main factor impeding the movement of elephants is mining activities that fragment the habitats.
Working towards better protection for wild elephants, protection and conservation of elephant habitats, reintroducing captive elephants into natural habitats when appropriate, improving enforcement policies to prevent the illegal poaching and trade of ivory, better treatment of captive elephants are some of the goals that the elephant conservation organisations need to focus.
(Dr Patro is president, Orissa Environmental Society. snpatro11@gmail.com; 9437190420)