Journal of Threatened Taxa |
www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 August 2020 | 12(11): 16494-16501
ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893
(Print)
doi: https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.5886.12.11.16494-16501
#5886 | Received 27 March 2020 | Final
received 19 August 2020 | Finally accepted 20 August 2020
Innovative way of human-elephant
competition mitigation
Sanjit Kumar Saha
West Bengal Forest Service,
Government of West Bengal, Directorate of Forests, Jaldapara
Wildlife Division, Coochbehar, West Bengal 736101,
India.
sanjitwbfs@gmail.com
Editor: Heidi Riddle, Riddle’s Elephant
and Wildlife Sanctuary, Arkansas, USA. Date of
publication: 26 August 2020 (online & print)
Citation: Saha,
S.K. (2020). Innovative way of human-elephant
competition mitigation. Journal of Threatened Taxa 12(11): 16494–16501. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.5886.12.11.16494-16501
Copyright: © Saha
2020. Creative Commons Attribution
4.0 International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproduction, and
distribution of this article in any medium by providing adequate credit to the
author(s) and the source of publication.
Funding: West Bengal
Compensatory Afforestation
Fund Management and Planning Authority
(WB CAMPA), Jaldapara Wildlife Division,
Directorate of Forests, Government of West Bengal.
Competing interests: The author
declares no competing interests.
Author details: Sanjit Kumar Saha, WBFS works as Assistant
Divisional Forest Officer (ADFO) of Jaldapara
Wildlife Division, Nilkuthi, Coochbehar,
Directorate of Forests, Government of West Bengal. His research interests
include human-wildlife coexistence (HWC), compassionate conservation, joint
forest protection, economic ornithology, science communication, ethno botany, ecotoxicology, wildlife protection and crime
control.
Acknowledgements: I acknowlede
the guidance and facilitation of Shri Kumar Vimal, IFS, DFO, Jaldapara Wildlife Division during the study and presence
of Shri Manish Kumar Yadav, WBFS, AWLW of Jaldapara
National Park at the toilet distribution programme to the beneficiaries. Besides that, I extend my heartfelt thanks to
all the field staff of the Madarihat Range for their
contribution at the time of communication process to the community. I acknowlede the
range officer, Madarihat for his contribution to
arrange consecutive meeting with the community people. I recognise the contribution of Shri Debdarshan Roy, ACF, Madarihat
for his assistance in monitoring the execution of toilet constructions
work. I am thankful to Ms. Rinki Mukherjee for her assistance in checking of draft
manuscript. Above all I am extending my
sincere thanks to all the community people to make this study successful by
assuring the usage of constructed toilets.
Abstract: The negative interaction between
humans and elephants is often referred to as conflict, however it is also seen
as competition. Human-elephant
competition (HEC) is a major protection threat in the fringe villages of the Jaldapara National Park (JPNP) of West Bengal, India. JPNP is facing challenges from the highly
populated fringe villages, which exist in elephant corridors. Between 2015 and 2018 there were 12 elephant
deaths. During the same period elephants
caused 34 human deaths. As per data,
most of the elephant interactions occurred in the fringe villages of Madarihat and Jaldapara North
Range. Per reports of human deaths, Chekamari and Khairbari villages
of Madarihat Range are in the most vulnerable
list. Most of the human deaths occurred
in the early morning (05.00–06.00 h) and in the evening, when people are going
outside for open defecation (OD). On a
pilot basis Chekamari and Khairbari
villages of Madarihat Range were selected for a door
to door household survey with the objective to develop an innovative strategy
as a mitigation measure of HEC. The
results of the survey show that both villages are tribal and minority
population, the socio-economic condition of the people is very poor, on an
average 5–6 members are in each household, the source of drinking water is a
community well for most of the households, and 50 households are devoid of
toilet facilities so automatically the members of those households go outside
for OD. Out of the total human deaths,
16 occurred in the Madarihat area; out of these 16
cases, six were from the Chekamari and Khairbari villages.
For this reason, between April 2019 to September 2019, with available
funds 20 toilets with tube-well were built in the 20 neediest households of
these two villages. Due to the communication
with the community, behavioural changes were made and their participation for
100% usage of those toilets was assured.
After the construction of the toilets until now, no human death cases
have been reported.
Keywords: Behavioural changes, communication,
mitigation, open defecation, toilets.
INTRODUCTION
The interaction between humans
and elephants is often referred to as conflict, however, it is also seen as competition. Human-elephant competition (HEC) (Davidar 2018) is a negative interaction between the two
species, resulting in crop loss, property damage, and can lead to the loss of
life of both humans and elephants.
Competition may be direct and indirect.
Loss of property, crops, and lives is the result of direct
competition. In indirect competition
people live in fear of elephants, which restricts free movement and day to day
activities of people in forest fringe areas.
The forest department promotes coexistence through different means with
the help of local joint forest protection committees (JFPCs) in the forest
fringe villages. In southern Bengal, in
the adjacent forest fringe areas of Jhargram, Medinipur, Rupnarayan, and
Kharagpur a special team “Hulla Party” drives the
elephants from the village towards the forest.
But in recent times there has been a total ban of the usage of “spike
and fire balls, i.e. Hulla” by a recent Supreme Court
order. In northern Bengal the concept of
Hulla Party does not exist, but JFPC members are
provided with crackers and searchlights from the forest department to drive
elephants to the forest. So, at present,
the forest department in both northern and southern Bengal solely depend on
high beam searchlights and crackers to mitigate the elephant depredation
problem. Apart from this direct action
in the field, the forest department also compensates the loss of crop,
property, livestock, and human life which occur from HEC (Davidar
2018), per the order of the Government of West Bengal. A person who is affected by an elephant
attack as specified in the government order (No. 195-For/11M-95/2011 pt-I dated 30.i.2015), whose crop and/or house is damaged
by wild animals, and if any domestic animal is injured/died due to a wild
animal attack, is eligible to claim ex-gratia compensation (West Bengal Forest
Department 2015). Ex-gratia compensation
for injuries and loss of human life is duly and promptly paid within 24 hours
of the incident. In present times, the
government order (No.1805-For/O/11M-95/2011 (Pt.I) Kolkata,
29 October 2018) regarding payment of compensation for the loss of life and
property due to elephant depredation has been revised by the Government of West
Bengal. The family of the deceased
should receive four lakh rupees for loss of life subject to certification
regarding the cause of death from the appropriate authority. Ex-gratia payment for the loss of a limb or
eye(s) is INR 59,100 per person, when the disability is between 40–60%, and
when the disability is more than 60% that amount is increased to INR two lakh
(INR 200,000) per person, subject to certification by a doctor from a
government hospital or dispensary regarding the extent and cause of disability
(West Bengal Forest Department 2018).
Ex-gratia payments regarding grievous injury requiring hospitalization
are between INR 12,700 and INR 4,300 per person when requiring hospitalization
for more than a week and less than a week, respectively (West Bengal Forest
Department 2018). So, this background
information is clear enough to understand that the forest department is
adopting all sorts of strategies to mitigate HEC in the forest fringe
villages. No mitigation measures,
however, are found to be 100% successful in avoiding competition between elephants
and forest fringe villages. Where a JFPC
exists as per the government norms, local people receive 40% of the revenue
generated from eco-tourism activity and timber operation for community
infrastructure development from the forest department. This provides a platform to the department to
address elephant conservation and to tackle HEC. But the problem is massive in villages where
no JFPCs exist and the forest department is unable to support community
infrastructure work by providing JFPC share money and other benefits. This study mainly focused on assessing the
problem and adopting other innovative strategies to mitigate and tackle HEC in
the areas of non JFPC villages in elephant corridors, where the issue of
elephant depredation is significant.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Study Area
Jaldapara Wildlife Division of West Bengal, India (Figure 1)
covers an area of 306.96km² with the national park area of 216.53km². The Chekamari and Khairbari villages of Madarihat
Range of Jaldapara Wildlife Division (Figure 2) lies
between 26.700–26.718N & 89.243– 89.264E.
The study area is a non-forest elephant corridor in between the forest
land of Dhumchi and Jaldapara
(Figure 1, 2). The average normal annual
rainfall of the area is about 293cm. The
southwest monsoon starts from the middle of May and lasts until the end of
September. The heaviest rainfall occurs
during the month of June, July, and August.
During the rainy season humidity is high. The approximate water table position of Madarihat Range and locality in summer is 2.80m (Conservator
of Forest & Divisional Forest Officer 2012). People are working in agriculture mainly for
subsistence; maize, paddy, potato are principal crops, which are also the
preferred food crops for the elephants.
Data collection and analysis
To understand the background of human-elephant
antagonism a preliminary study was conducted to collect primary data from Jaldapara Wildlife Division through a prepared
questionnaire. Primary data analysis
provided the estimated number of wild elephants in the Jaldapara
Wildlife Division, season-wise maximum and minimum group size of elephants
during crop raids, area of common habitat shared by elephants and humans, total
number of elephants and human deaths during three years (2015–2018), details on
age and gender of elephant and human death cases, causes of elephant and human
deaths (Tables 1, 2), level of aggression of local people, methods used for
driving away lone elephants/herds, total cases of crop-damage between
2015–2018, season of intensive crop damage, type of crop damage, total cases of
property damages between 2015–2018, total compensation paid in cases of
human-death, crop-damage and cases of property-damage between 2015–2018. The primary data analysis helped to identify
the most vulnerable site of human and elephant deaths (Tables 1, 2). With this basic information field foresters
of Madarihat Range, led by the author, went to the
community platform of competition prone villages and through consecutive
meetings by the author and field staff of Madarihat
Range, awareness was created in the schools and other village
institutions. The objective to mitigate
HEC was communicated to the local people through audio-visual aids and door to
door visits. These visits helped the
local people to communicate their problem, livelihood, and socio-economic
status. Based on the communication, the
specific time of incidences of human death was assessed and this provided the
incentive to adopt an innovative strategy to build toilets with tube-well on a
priority basis to avoid the chance of HEC.
RESULTS
Primary data from the Jaldapara
Wildlife Division, West Bengal collected through the Questionnaire Method by
the following questionnaire.
What is the name of the division?
Jaldapara Wildlife Division, Coochbehar.
How many forest-ranges are there in the division?
14.
How many elephants are there in the wild?
100–130 (Last estimation)
What is the maximum group size of elephants observed?
60 to 70 individuals in a herd during monsoon.
The herd divides into maximum 25 to 35 individuals
during rest of the year.
What is the minimum group size of elephants observed?
Minimum 2 to 3
adults in a small group during crop raids.
What is the total area (in km2) of the
Division?
306.96km2.
How many elephants died in past three years from 2015
to 2018?
12
Is any data available regarding the age and gender of
elephant death cases? (For example: How many females or males? How many
adults/sub adults/juveniles/calves?)
Data Available in Table 1
Are GPS locations available where these cases
happened?
Not Available
What were the causes of elephant death?
Electrocution- 4
Cardiorespiratory failure- 3.
Rail Accident- 1
Infighting- 2
Natural Death- 2
How many cases of human deaths by wild elephant attack
occurred in past three years from 2015 to 2018?
34
Is any data available regarding the age and gender of
human death cases? (For example: How many females or males? How many of them
were old/young?)
Year wise Detail Data available in Table 2
Is GPS locations available of where these cases
happened?
Not Available
Generally what is time of elephant depredation in the
villages?
In the evening and night for raiding in the crop
fields.
What were the causes of human deaths?
Injury through
direct interaction with elephants.
Generally what was the time of injury or direct
interaction with elephants?
In most of the cases in the early morning when
elephant herds returned back to the forest from the villages, and in a few
cases in the evening at the time of elephant depredation during crop raiding.
What was the level of aggression of local people
(high, moderate or low)?
Moderate
What are the methods used for driving away lone
elephants/herds of elephants from the villages?
Elephant
driving by using high beam searchlights and crackers.
19. How much crop area damaged in between 2015–2018?
Which seasons (months), more crops was damaged? Is any
specific timing or months of raiding observed?
Throughout the
year.
What crops were damaged most?
Maize, paddy, potato.
22. How many hut damages between 2015–2018?
23. How much compensation paid in cases of human death
(2015–2018)?
24. How much compensation paid in cases of crop damage
(2015–2018)?
25. How much
compensation paid in cases of hut damage (2015–2018)?
RESULTS OF PRIMARY DATA
ANALYSIS
From the preliminary data available in Table 2 it is
known that most human deaths occurred in the fringe villages of the Madarihat Police Station (Madarihat
PS) and Range,
which shares a boundary with Jaldapara National
Park. The data of the site of human
deaths of Table 2 shows that Chekamari and Khairbari villages of Madarihat
are very vulnerable. The questionnaire
data shows that deceased included both old and young. The questionnaire shows that elephants raid
mainly in the crop season of maize, paddy, and potato. In northern Bengal, farmers grow maize in
summer, then paddy in the monsoon, then potato in the winter. As a result, local farmers are attracting
elephant raids throughout the year. The
questionnaire data shows that elephant depredation in the villages occurred in
the evening and night mainly during raiding in the crop fields, and cause of
human death is direct Injury or interaction with elephants. But as a
follow up door to door communication, it appeared that in most cases the
time of injury or direct interaction with elephants occurred early in the
morning when elephant herds returned to the forest from the villages, and in a
few cases in the evening at the time of elephant depredation during crop
raiding.
Through preliminary data analysis, we understand that Chekamari and Khairbari villages
of Madarihat Range and PS are vulnerable areas (Table
2) and, for that reason, a second phase of field study was conducted by the
author and his field foresters of Madarihat Range in
that area through door to door communication.
Door to door communication was made by onsite visits and discussion with
every household for the purpose of assessing the primary reason of HEC, to know
the reason for open defecation (OD), to get the data of availability of toilets
in those households, to know the education status of the family members of
those households, and, most importantly to communicate the mitigation measures
of HEC. The main result of this
communication was learning the fact that 50 households were devoid of toilet
facilities in these two villages, and the members of those households were
going outside for OD in the early morning and in the evening. On an average, 5–6 members live in each
household of those villages. So,
approximately 250–300 people were going outside for OD, with the fear of direct
competition with elephants and other wild animals at that specific time. As per the objective of our study, we were
searching for an innovative strategy to mitigate competition in the villages of
non JFPC areas. Interestingly, these two
villages, Chekamari and Khairbari,
do not have JFPCs. Middle-aged adult men
and women were, to some extent, more cautious to avoid interaction with
elephants at that specific time. Young
and older people by nature are less concerned with the interactions and some
lost their life with the direct competition at the time of OD outside. The community and the relatives of the
deceased confirmed the fact that almost all of the cases of human deaths by
wild elephant attack occurred when the deceased went for OD outside.
DISCUSSION
Based on the interpretation of the survey and
communication results, and the availability of CAMPA (Compensatory
Afforestation Fund Management Planning Authority), 20 toilets with tube-well
were constructed on a priority basis for the 20 neediest households of those
villages. These households are unable to
construct a toilet due to poor socio-economic condition. After construction, the toilets were handed
over to those beneficiaries and behavioural changes were made to assure 100%
usage of toilets through consecutive household visits, meetings, and seminars.
Villagers also adopted the good practice of toilet usage instead of OD, and as
a result direct confrontation with elephants was avoided. No human death has occurred to date in that
area. All the toilets with tube-well
were tagged with their GPS location and a beneficiary list is kept in the Madarihat Range Office and with the Jaldapara
Wildlife Division. After seeing the
success of the pilot project, the CAMPA authority sanctioned funds for those
remaining 30 households devoid of toilet facilities. Construction is ongoing and very soon we will
be able to officially distribute those toilets to make the Chekamari
and Khairbari villages OD free. In the meantime, people are using community
toilets and the toilets of relatives. To
date no human deaths have been reported from those areas where toilets were
constructed and usage was assured among the people through community
participation.
CONCLUSION
By constructing toilets with tube-well as an innovative
strategy a big problem of human-elephant competition and elephant conservation
was addressed through door to door communication and with community
participation. For the first time a
protected area has adopted this sort of innovative strategy to mitigate
human-elephant competition by promoting coexistence; as an added advantage the
issue of open defecation is also addressed.
So this project is a win-win situation for both the community people and
the forest department towards elephant conservation.
Table 1. List of elephant deaths.
|
Year |
Site |
Age (in years) |
Gender |
Assigned cause |
Remarks |
|
2015 |
Tulsipara Das Ghar Village, P.S. Birpara |
4 |
Female |
Electrocution |
Accidental |
|
Tulsipara Bara Line, P.S. Birpara |
30 |
Female |
Electrocution |
Accidental |
|
|
Satali Nakadala Village area |
- |
Male |
Electrocution |
Accidental |
|
|
BD-8 Compartment of Jaldapara
National Park |
Adult |
Female |
Cardio respiratory failure |
Natural |
|
|
JP-5 Compartment of Jaldapara
National Park |
15 |
Female |
Cardio respiratory failure |
Natural |
|
|
Railway track near Haripur, Madarihat,
Alipurduar District |
- |
Male Tusker |
Railway accident |
Accidental |
|
|
2016 |
BD-4 Compartment of Jaldapara
National Park |
Adult |
Male |
Cardio respiratory failure |
Natural |
|
BN-4 Compartment of Jaldapara
National Park |
4 |
Male |
Cardio respiratory failure |
Natural |
|
|
Gopalpur Tea Garden |
- |
Male Tusker |
Electrocution |
Accidental |
|
|
BN-4 Compartment of Jaldapara
National Park |
25 |
Male |
Infighting |
Natural |
|
|
2017 |
Titi-4 Compartment of Jaldapara
National Park, near Torsa river bed. |
2 |
Male Calf |
- |
Natural Death |
|
2018 |
BD-3(a) Compartment of Kodalbasti Range,
Jaldapara |
40 |
Male |
In fighting |
Natural |
Table 2. List of human deaths.
|
Year |
Site |
Age (in years) |
Gender |
Possible Cause |
Compensation Paid (IN Rupees) |
|
2015–16 |
Jaldapara Village near forest boundary, Alipurduar |
- |
Male |
Attacked by wild elephant |
2,50,000.00 |
|
Near house premises, Uttar Rangalibazna,
Madarihat, Alipurduar. |
98 |
Female |
Attacked by wild elephant |
2,50,000.00 |
|
|
Near house premises, Madhya Chekamari,
Madarihat, Alipurduar. |
56 |
Male |
Attacked by wild elephant |
2,50,000.00 |
|
|
Near house premises, Purba
Khairbari, Madarihat, Alipurduar. |
55 |
Male |
Attacked by wild elephant |
Part payment 20,000.00 |
|
|
Near house premises, Uttar Khairbari,
Madarihat, Alipurduar. |
40 |
Male |
Attacked by wild elephant |
Part payment 20,000.00 |
|
|
2016–17 |
Sidhabari Village area, Alipurduar |
42 |
- |
Attacked by wild elephant |
2,50,000.00 |
|
Inside Khairbari Forest,
Paschim Salkumar, Madarihat |
40 |
Male |
Attacked by wild elephant |
Not eligible for compensation in forest land |
|
|
Kalikhola, Ballalguri, Totopara, Alipurduar |
45 |
Male |
Attacked by wild elephant |
2,50,000.00 |
|
|
Near house premises, Gopalpur
Tea Garden, Madarihat |
6 |
Female |
Attacked by wild elephant |
2,50,000.00 |
|
|
Near house premises, Chapaguri,
Madarihat |
27 |
Male |
Attacked by wild elephant |
2,50,000.00 |
|
|
In national park (on duty), Alipurduar |
25 |
Male |
Attacked by captive elephant |
1,87,500.00 |
|
|
Near house premises, Paschim Khairbari,
Madarihat |
35 |
Male |
Attacked by wild elephant |
1,75,000.00 |
|
|
Ranbahadur Basti, village, Dalsingpara,
Alipurduar |
- |
- |
Attacked by wild elephant |
1,87,500.00 (75% payment) |
|
|
Satali Mandalpara, Madhya Satali Village, Jaigaon, Alipurduar |
46 |
Male |
Attacked by wild elephant |
2,50,000.00 |
|
|
|
Inside Jaldapara National
Park (on duty) |
23 |
Male |
Attacked by captive elephant |
- |
|
Moiradanga (inside forest), Mairadanga
Village, Falakata, Alipurduar |
40 |
Female |
Attacked by wild elephant |
- |
|
|
2017–18 |
Totopara Road, Hollapara village, Ballalguri, Totopara, Madarihat, Alipurduar |
59 |
Male |
Attacked by wild elephant |
1,87,500.00 |
|
Inside Jaldapara National
Park in JP-1 Compartment, NWC Beat, Madarihat, Alipurduar |
45 |
Female |
Attacked by wild elephant |
- |
|
|
Inside National Park in JP-1 Compartment, NWC Beat, Madarihat, Alipurduar |
44 |
Female |
Attacked by wild elephant |
Not eligible to get compensation inside the national
park |
|
|
Inside the Forest land of BD-3 Compartment, Kodalbasti Beat under Kodalbasti
Range, Jaldapara National Park, Alipurduar |
65 |
Male |
Attacked by wild elephant |
Not eligible to get compensation inside forest land.
|
|
|
Madhya Madarihat, Madhya Khairbari village, Madarihat, Alipurduar |
68 |
Male |
Attacked by wild elephant |
80,000.00 |
|
|
Purba Khairbari, Torsa Tea Garden, Dalsingpara, Alipurduar |
45 |
Female |
Attacked by wild elephant |
1,25,000.00 |
|
|
In Jaldapara National Park
(On duty), Madarihat, Alipurduar |
47 |
Male |
Attacked by captive elephant |
2,50,000.00 |
|
|
|
River side of Bhangri
river, Garganda Tea Garden, Madarihat,
Alipurduar |
- |
Female |
Attacked by wild elephant |
1,25,000.00 |
|
In Jaldapara National Park
(On duty), Falakata, Alipurduar |
- |
Male |
Attacked by captive elephant |
1,25,000.00 |
|
|
Purba Deogaon, Falakata, Alipurduar |
29 |
Male |
Attacked by wild elephant |
1,25,000.00 |
|
|
Subhasini Nadi Line, Hasimara Outpost, Alipurduar |
52 |
Male |
Attacked by wild elephant |
1,25,000.00 |
|
|
|
Ramjhora Tea Garden, Birpara, Alipurduar |
66 |
Male |
Attacked by wild elephant |
1,25,000.00 |
|
StaliMandal
Para, P.S. : Jaigaon, Alipurduar |
54 |
Male |
Attacked by wild elephant |
1,25,000.00 |
|
|
2018–19 |
Lankapara, Madarihat, |
- |
- |
Attacked by wild elephant |
2,50,000.00 |
|
Near House premises, Madarihat
Range, Uttar Chakamari, Madarihat,
Alipurduar |
- |
- |
Attacked by wild elephant |
1,25,000.00 |
|
|
Near House premises, Paschim Madarihat
Village, Madarihat, Alipurduar |
|
|
Attacked by wild elephant |
1,25,000.00 |
|
|
|
Near house premises, Mujnai
Tea Garden, Madarihat, Alipurduar |
- |
- |
Attacked by wild elephant |
1,25,000.00 |
|
Near house premises, Chilapata
Range, Uttar Mendabari, Kalchini,
Alipurduar |
- |
- |
Attacked by wild elephant |
2,00,000.00 |
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