Elephant: An Unwanted God

Unwanted Gods: Elephants in Distress

I have been distressed by the current pitiable condition of wild elephants in India.

India’s population is increasing rapidly. In 1901 India had a population of only 29.355 crore. According to 2011 census India’s population increased to 121 crores. Recent estimates suggest India’s human population has increased to 1.4 billion and has overtaken that of China.

In 1901 the population density was 77 persons per square kilometer. According to 2011 census India’s population density has increased to 382 persons per square kilometer. This massive increase in population, together with various infrastructure projects like roads, buildings, canals as well as mining and dams is also increasingly shrinking the habitat of mega-herbivores like elephants and bringing people more in contact with them.

Elephants are voracious feeders, and they spend roughly 14 hours of the day feeding. Accordingly, they need to move while feeding. They traverse hundreds of kilometers feeding, resting, giving birth etc. Most of elephant migration paths are outside the National Parks, wildlife sanctuaries and other Protected areas (PAs).

Since their traditional routes are often obstructed due to human habitations, infrastructure projects or other such impediments, and there is depletion in natural vegetation in the existing habitat due to anthropogenic pressures as well as growth of exotic weed like Lantana camara, Prosopis juliflora etc, elephants often change their migratory paths.

People don’t understand elephant behaviour and don’t know elephants can run up to 40kmph speed. So, they shout & move close to throw stones, are caught by elephants and get killed. Between 2015 and 2019, 369 people were killed by elephants in Odisha and 207 injured.

This small clip on wild elephants shows human stupidity. I am working on a larger documentary on human-elephant conflict.

 

This conflict must be stopped now to save a viable elephant population. A solution to this human-elephant conflict can be found by listening to the grievances as well as suggestions of people and by raising awareness among people.

 

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