Experts urge changes to save elephant population

Not enough is being done to save elephants that get caught up in conflicts with Indian villages, conservationists have warned today.

Large-scale deforestation, poaching and human encroachments into forests are reportedly decreasing the feeding grounds of the animals who turn to fields in their search for food.

South India’s elephants also face a major threat from trains as railway lines pass through their habitat. Many are reportedly killed when they stop to feed along tracks.

Conservationists have urged restricted movement of trains in the night, continuous whistling through forest areas and a reduction in train speed, it emerged today.

Dr Mohan Raj, a wildlife conservationist, said that at least four elephants have been killed by trains this year.

“The east and west of the region is fed by rainfall in different months, so the availability of fodder is seasonal.

“There is movement of elephants according to this availability, and the problem of conflict will continue to escalate until we find a proper solution,” he told the Press Association.

Conservationists have reportedly called for a detailed study on elephant corridors in south India to help reduce the impact on the elephant population.

South India has one of the best Asian elephant populations in the country, which is growing rapidly. However, the human population is also growing quickly, leading to conflicts with animals.

“New people are now settling into forest areas, not the original forest dwellers. They are attracted by the cheap land which they use for farming and have no idea how to deal with elephants,” Dr Raj added.

“One solution is to identify conflict areas and crop raiders as not all elephants destroy plantations and fields. We are looking at a system similar to one done in South Africa.”

“Collars with GPS on the elephants will send out a text message to villages as they approach. This early warning system will enable villagers to take action and defend their fields.”

Elephants, known for their problem-solving abilities, have been circumventing barriers put up by the forest department to prevent them from raiding crops.

A forest official in south India told an Indian newspaper how an elephant filled up a trench dug by the department and walked over it before destroying a field of crops.