Raj Kumar Oli, Nepal News Bank
The human-elephant conflict is becoming more challenging as the incidents of wild elephant movement and attacks are increasing in Jhapa. The risk has increased from the border area to various forests and settlements of the district after a large group of wild elephants entered Nepal from the Satighatta border point of Mechinagar, which shares the border with India.
A motorcyclist was injured in an attack by a wild elephant at Bihani Tole of Buddhashanti Rural Municipality-2 in the district this morning. Dilli Bahadur Poudel, 56, a local, was injured when an elephant that came out of a three-storey community forest attacked his motorcycle.
The elephant attacked a motorcycle (Me 3 Pa 6867) going towards Budhare from Bihani Tole. Poudel suffered a chest injury in the attack. He was rescued and admitted to the B&C Hospital in Birtamode for treatment.
Chief District Officer Shrawan Kumar Pokharel said that the wild elephant has entered Nepal from the vicinity of Satighatta checkpoint in Mechinagar municipality-7. Locals said that more than
12 elephants have been spotted in Bahundangi, Prasad Gouda, Kakarvitta and border areas in the past few days. According to Prahlad Oli, chairperson of Mechinagar Municipality-7, the sighting of a large herd of elephants in the vicinity of the settlement has increased fear among the locals.
He said that there is a risk that the group of elephants may enter the local settlement and damage the houses and crops. Locals are also facing problems in commuting at night due to the increase in the movement of elephants.
Gopal
Budhathoki, mayor of Mechinagar Municipality, said that the Indian police has also been mobilized to bring the wild elephants back to India. He said that efforts are being made to prevent the elephants from entering the settlement by coordinating with the security agencies of Nepal and India and the concerned parties.
According to the Division Forest Office, Jhapa, the problem of human-elephant conflict has been persisting in the district for a long time. From June 16, 2008 to July 19, 80 people have lost their lives in wild elephant attacks. Among the dead, 70 are Nepalis and 10 non-Nepalis.
During the same period, 28 wild elephants were also killed due to human-elephant conflict, the office said. In the fiscal year 2082÷83 alone, six people were killed and 17 were seriously injured due to elephant attacks.
Among those killed in elephant attacks are citizens of different local levels of Jhapa.
According to the Division Forest Office, the deceased have been identified as Ganesh Prasad Adhikari of Damak-3, Khamba Singh Karki of Mechinagar-13, Ram Bahadur Burja of Bhadrapur-9 and Krishna Bahadur Bhujel of Kankai.
In the latest incident, Padma Poudel of Mechinagar-4 and Lujuma Khatun of Barhadashi Rural Municipality-2 were also killed in wild elephant attacks.
Along with human losses, elephants have also caused huge damage to houses, livestock, stored grain and crops. According to the Division Forest Office, Jhapa, about Rs 20 million was distributed as relief and compensation to the people affected by elephants in the fiscal year 2082÷83 alone. Damage was caused to 15 livestock, 191 stored food grains and 268 sheds during the period.
Encroachment of forest area, obstruction of traditional biological route of elephants, expansion of settlements and lack of food and water in forest areas are considered to be the main reasons for the increase in human-elephant conflict. Priority has been given to making the early warning system effective in the areas where elephants are frequented, increasing coordination between the community forest users and security bodies and monitoring the vulnerable areas.
Along with the conservation of wildlife, protecting the lives and property of the citizens has become a challenge for the district. Effective coordination between local administration, forest office, security bodies and local levels has been pointed out with the sighting of large herds of elephants along the bordering areas.
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