Dyavamma, 74, of Kanaguppe village in Belur taluk of Hassan district, could not sleep on February 12. One of her cows had not returned home by evening that day as it usually would after grazing. The next day, around 4 a.m., she left home in search of her cow. She worked as an agricultural labourer in estates to support her family and also reared cows.
As she did not return home even after many hours, her husband and relatives got worried. They went in search of her. To their shock, the old lady was found dead. Given the condition of her body, the villagers understood that she had died in an elephant attack. Considering the series of similar incidents in the taluk and neighbouring taluks for the past several years, it was not difficult for them to guess the cause of her death.
The villagers staged a protest, demanded fair compensation for the family of the deceased and wanted all the elephants roaming in parts of Hassan district captured and relocated. The senior officers of the Hassan district administration and the Forest Department had a tough time handling the crowd. Belur MLA H.K. Suresh of the opposition BJP also joined the protest and took the officers to task for failing to stop elephants from entering human habitat.
One more tragedy
Even as the people were reeling under this tragedy, another person died in similar circumstances. Anil Kumar, 28, was returning from an estate at Byadane village in Belur taluk on the evening of February 24 when he encountered a wild elephant. It trampled him to death. His mother, Parvathamma, lost her only son and breadwinner of the family.
Following the incident, the local people started an indefinite protest at the spot, refusing to lift the body. The next day, people of many villages around joined the protest and observed a bandh at Arehalli, a hobli centre.
The root cause
For the last four decades, parts of Sakaleshpur, Alur, Belur and Arakalgud taluks, which lie in the foothills of the Western Ghats, have been facing human-elephant conflict. The local people believe that elephants coming into human habitats began after the construction of the Hemavathi reservoir in the late 1970s. The construction of the dam and the submergence of vast areas led to the fragmentation of forest cover. The railway line, highway and expansion of plantation area disturbed the elephant corridor. The elephants began to raid paddy fields and visit estates in search of food.
The villagers suffered the impact of human-elephant conflict in the 1980s, forcing the Forest Department to launch a drive to capture and relocate elephants. The first such drive was held in 1987, as per the Forest Department records. Over the years, the number of elephants has increased. There is no data on the exact number of elephants roaming in parts of Hassan districts. However, the number could be more than 100, spread over three or four groups. Besides them, a few tuskers roam separately. The lone tuskers cause trouble, and it is difficult for the department to keep track of them.
In many villages of Belur and Sakaleshpur taluks, there have been instances of tuskers taking strolls in the main streets in daylight, leaving the people traumatised. The parents are worried about the safety of their children. A few among the dead in the elephant attacks are children. There are incidents where schoolchildren encounter elephants on their way to school. During the exams, the district administration takes extra caution to ensure the safety of children.
The human-elephant conflict has affected both humans and elephants. Since 1987, more than 100 people have died in elephant attacks. On the other hand, more than 40 elephants have died due to the conflict since 2003. As the number of elephants is increasing, the incidents of conflict are also on the rise. The farmers are losing their crops. Many planters have lost their well-grown coffee plants. Once a group of elephants passes through an estate, hundreds of plants are lost.
Demand for relocation
Time and again, the growers and local people have demanded capture and relocation of all elephants roaming in the district. They argue that most of the elephants that roam in the district have become accustomed to human habitats.
In fact, a few wildlife experts also recommended this. M.K. Appaiah, retired Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, and Ajay A. Desai, an expert on elephants, did a study on the human-elephant conflict of Hassan and submitted a report to the State government in 2007. The report observed that the elephant habitat, which is contiguous from Nagarhole up to the Cauvery River, became fragmented and patchy in the area bordering between Kodagu and Hassan districts. They recommended relocating the entire elephant population from the area.
Earlier, the department did an experiment by relocating a couple of elephants to far-off places after installing radio collars on them. Interestingly, they returned to their native place a few days later. The local people want the elephants to be shifted to such a place from where they cannot return. The department has also captured several elephants, particularly those causing trouble, and shifted them to elephant camps.
Risky situations
The Forest Department staff often encounter difficulties while handling the herd. Venkatesh, who was popularly known as Aane Venkatesh for his role in capturing elephants for radio-collaring, died in an elephant attack during an elephant capture operation in August, 2023.
Tamed (kumki) elephants play a significant role in capturing wild elephants. Arjuna, the elephant known for carrying howdah during Mysuru Dasara celebrations, died on December 4, 2023, after being attacked by a wild elephant during one such operation.
The members of the elephant task force and the youths who are part of the Rapid Response Team face risky situations during their job of tracking the elephants. Considering the series of deaths and the threat caused to the local community, the Forest Department is also contemplating the relocation of the entire elephant population from the human habitats of Hassan and the neighbouring districts of Chikkamagaluru and Kodagu.
Minister’s visit
Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre visited Belur taluk on March 3 and visited the family of Anil, who died in an elephant attack last week. On this occasion, the Minister assured the local people that the government would capture and relocate all wild elephants from the three districts to the elephant camp proposed to come up in Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary.
The Minister, in response to a question in the Legislative Council on March 4, said that over 200 elephants that had been roaming outside forest areas would be returned to the forest. The camp is expected to come up in 2,000 acres. The place would be developed such that elephants could get sufficient food and water. The minister is expecting ₹100 crore in the budget for this project.
At present, as per the last census, there are 6,395 elephants in Karnataka. This is the highest in any state in the country. In tune with the number, the conflict is also high. The department has dug trenches and installed tentacle fencing, solar fencing, and railway barricades to restrict the animal movement. The department also conducted a convention involving experts from abroad to discuss the issue. The Minister said he was expecting suggestions from a team of experts at the Indian Institute of Science on measures to control the elephant population.
Published – March 07, 2025 06:44 am IST