Elephant-Man Conflict: Satkosia Villagers' Livelihood At Stake, Angul Wildlife Division Never Cares!

By SANTOSH MOHANTY

The killing of elephants either by electrocution, booby traps or by poachers have always attracted media attention, but damage to livelihood of villagers in Satkosia Wildlife Sanctuary in Angul district of Odisha gets little amount of space in the mainstream media in these days. This mindset amply reflects the apathetic attitude of the press towards the villagers of Satkosia who are victims of Elephant-Man conflict. The Wildlife Division is also not left behind either. It has its share in this matter too. Top brasses of Angul Wildlife Division are also allegedly indifferent towards the miseries of people living in 28 villages in Tainsi-Kothabhuin region. Gross ecological mismanagement of Satkosia Wildlife Sanctuary has triggered Elephant-Man conflict in the region. Several acres of mango orchards in Kothabhuin grampanchayat under Pampasar forest range in Satkosia Wildlife Division have been devastated by elephants.

Herds of jumbos have destroyed mango orchards and other vegetation in Laimunda, Olaberi, Nuapada, Hinjagola and Baragotha villages in Satkosia. Mohan Pradhan and Dhruba Charan Behera said they have requested Divisional Forerst Officer(DFO), Angul Wildlife Division, for taking measures to drive away the elephants from their villages as they fear for their lives. But, no action has been taken so far by the wildlife division to provide them relief, they alleged. The villagers alleged that night patrolling was rarely done in most parts of Satkosia division. Pradhan and Behera said the elephants have not only ravaged their orchards, but broken down the economic backbone of the villagers who earn good amount by selling mangoes to businessmen from West Bengal , Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and other neighbouring states in this season. The traders from the above mentioned places make a beeline to buy fruits grown in natural environs of Satkosia forest. The mangoes fetch good price in metropolitan cities of India for their taste, the villagers of Laimuda said. Aggrieved villagers of Kothabhuin panchayat said elephants have not only ravaged their orchards but also deprived them of their main source of income. We have to live in utter penury again, they added with dejection.    

Why Jumbos Destroy Mango Orchards?

Environmentalists and nature lovers alleged that there is little food left for the world's largest animal and said this trend is going on over decades in Satkosia Wildlife Sanctuary. They said the wildlife habitat has undergone a substantial ecological change and added that the local forest wing has undermined the importance of bamboo reserves.

Shortage of bamboo in Satkosia Wildlife Sanctuary, the staple food of elephants, has raised concern among environmentalists   

Bamboo shoots are the most favourite food of the pachyderms, but these are now alien to Satkosia wildlife Division. Several years ago the region was home to lush green bamboo forest, but in the present day a visitor to the wildlife sanctuary rarely finds a patch of bamboo plants in the sanctuary. The forest department is allegedly concentrating more on plantation of teak which is commercially profitable. The second reason is destruction of elephant corridors. The elephants, by nature are migratory, and therefore, they require forests with connected routes to move around for food and mating. The development projects like four-lane drives, dams, canals and high-tension electric towers have snapped the corridors preventing the movement of jumbos from one forest to another. Therefore, the pachyderms have no choice but to force their way to human settlements in search of food, setting the stage for elephant-man tussle in the region.

Jumbo-Man Coexistence Possible?

Recently two elephants were electrocuted in Angul district raising serious doubt over their protection by the wildlife division. While one elephant died in Bantala forest range jurisdiction, the other one was electrocuted at Dangapal village in Chhendipada range. Forest officials said the dead elephant was part of a herd that sneaked into Chhendipada forest from Redhakhol division in Sambalpur district. The elephant received the shock after coming in contact with live electric wire used as fence around a poultry farm in Dangapal village. It is worthwhile to mention that Odisha accounts for nearly twenty percent of country’s jumbo deaths from unnatural causes. Villagers retaliate as wild elephants damage their crops and vegetation in the dead of night. Farmers living in Satkosia have no alternative than to resort to electric fences and traps to protect their produce from marauding elephants. Regional Chief Conservator of Forest(RCCF) Sanjay Kumar Swain who visited the spot along with senior forest officials promised that the culprit responsible for the death of the elephant will be brought to book soon. Meanwhile, media reports said that police have arrested the man responsible for the electrocution of the animal.

Leading Causes Of Jumbo Death:

Electrocution has of late become one of the main reasons responsible for the death of elephants in Satkosia wildlife sanctuary. These are accidental and intentional as well. This is accidental, when peasants living in the proximity of wildlife sanctuary, often surround their farmlands with live electric wire to shoo away wild animals like jumbos and wild boars. The wild animals get electric shock and most often get caught losing their lives.  The intentional theory is known to all as poachers kill elephants and get away with the tusks which are highly priced in international market. Poachers most often use extension of high-tension KV lines passing through the forest to kill tuskers. They lay high voltage electric wires on the routes inside the forest through which the wild elephants pass. Poachers also use country-made rifles to kill the animal. Angul police have recently busted a gunrunning racket in the district. The police have also seized manufacturing units of country-made rifles in several parts of the district. These country-made rifles were reasonably priced and mostly sold to poachers for killing elephants in the district. Poor coordination between forest divisions, shortage of patrolling staff and advanced surveillance equipment have been posing logistical challenges for minimizing poaching of elephants in Angul wildlife division. Therefore, the poachers are taking advantage of this lacuna, social activists working for conservation and protection of environment said.

Lack Of Monitoring:

Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) working for protection of environment and preservation of biodiversity alleged that elephant deaths due to electrocution and poisoning in Satkosia wildlife division  can be attributed to failure for adequate monitoring of the ground situation. In a number of occasions forest officials have tried to hide the death of elephants to escape the responsibility. Whenever NGOs and wildlife activists try to expose their misdeeds, they are often met with resistance.

Role Of Media:

The mainstream media's role is often lopsided which fail to discuss about the causes behind elephant-man conflict and how the public can be educated to reduce the menace. Elephants are often seen destroyer of crops and houses by the local communities, but this narrative has become inimical for conservation of the animal. Their existence on the planet earth is essential for the prevalence of a better ecosystem. Grassroots environmental education will help the communities for better understanding of the importance and peaceful coexistence of humans and wildlife.

Call To Action:

It is primary duty of the wildlife staff Angul to ensure participation of villagers in community-based conservation programmes and must be educated that the jumbos are not destroyer of their crops, but they are a part of biodiversity of Satkosia region. The forest, environment and climate change ministry of the Odisha should take measures on a war footing to restore elephant corridors to ensure safe movement of the animals as the first step to mitigate human suffering in the form of Elephant-Man tussle. Restoration of elephant corridors will considerably reduce Elephant-Man conflict as the jumbos move freely between forests to get food. Projects close to reserve forest and sanctuaries in the state must not be given government clearance without environmental impact assessments surveys.

Satkosia is one among the biodiversity zones in Odisha like Similipal in Mayurbhanj and Bhitarkanika in Kendrapada districts. River Mahanadi, the largest in the state, flows through the sanctuary and the deep narrow valley extends its gorge to seven miles down the river. Spread over a sprawling 796 sq km, the Satkosia Wildlife Sanctuary, is located in the eastern Indian state of Odisha, bustling with flora and fauna. This sanctuary is a home to rare species of wildlife such as bisons, flying squirrels besides a large number of elephants.