MLAs, forest officials brainstorm to reduce man-animal conflicts

Gumla: In the wake of over 600 incidents of man-animal conflict, which include elephants destroying crops, houses and injuring people, in the last four months in Simdega and in adjoining Gumla districts, the Simdega forest division has come up with a set of ideas to reduce such conflicts.
On Sunday, Simdega divisional forest officer (DFO) Pravesh Agarwal said recently they held a discussion, titled ‘Hathi Mere Saathi’, under the aegis of deputy commissioner Sushant Gaurav in this regard. “The MLAs from Kolebira (Naman Bixal Kongari) and Simdega (Bhushan Bara) constituencies also took part in the discussion and suggested various measures for mitigating man-animal conflicts,” Agarwal added.
Citing a few of the suggestions given, Agarwal said, “The MLAs suggested planting thorny plants on the periphery of the forests where the villages are located to prevent the entry of the elephants to the hamlets. They also asked us to plant fruit-bearing trees on a large-scale so that the elephants can consume them and resultantly, can be barred from entering the villages in search of food.” He added, “The MLAs gave us other suggestions as well which, depending on their viability, we will implement.”
The Kolebira MLA said that man-animal conflicts take place mainly because of food and water. “Wild elephants venture into villages in search of food. Keeping this in mind, there is a need to plant more fruit-bearing trees near the forests to ensure that the jumbos never face any shortage of food.”
He also stressed on the need for effective and regular training programmes for foresters to sensitise them on ways to tackle such conflicts without causing any major damage to the animals or the people.
Detailing the damage caused by the elephants recently, the DFO said, “In the last four months, 639 cases of man-animal conflicts were registered where the elephants destroyed houses, crops and injured two persons.” He added, “We have decided to give a compensation of Rs 30 lakh to the affected families.”