Elephants in India

The death of seven elephants in a train hit in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district is a grim reminder that little has been done to stop such slaughter in various States. Assam and West Bengal account for two-thirds of elephant mortality in train hits, followed by Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, and Orissa. Only a month ago, a comprehensive report of the Elephant Task Force of the Ministry of Environment and Forests titled “Gajah: Securing the Future for Elephants in India” presented a road map to reduce elephant mortality in train accidents. Aided by extensive research, it identified key factors that raise the risk for the animals. These include dispersed water sources, steep embankments along rail tracks, sharp turnings, and sheer speed of trains. Scientists have empirically tested the evidence in Rajaji National Park, Uttarakhand, and achieved excellent results in saving elephants.
Overall, elephants may be doing better than tigers in India going by their estimated populations. But their long-term future depends on a science-based conservation plan. Gajah's historical range may have shrunk but the fact that 18 States host elephant populations making up an estimated national total of 26,000 (not counting the 3,500 in captivity) is cause for some optimism. Besides train hits, there are significant issues affecting conservation, such as human-elephant conflict, the diversion of land for mining and similar incompatible uses, the degradation of habitat, and the loss of forest cover. The Task Force is correct in its view that, given the magnitude of the task, it will take a statutory National Elephant Conservation Authority to address the problems. A virtue of the panel's report is that it is imbued with as much concern for communities as it is for the species. State governments should welcome the recommendation to substantially increase the allocations made for compensation to be paid to victims of conflicts. Agricultural losses suffered in elephant raids affect nearly half-a-million families annually. Enhanced financial compensation for such losses is a must. States that have the privilege of enabling elephant movement must also support the 32 existing and proposed elephant reserves, and secure the identified corridors used by the animals. Crucially, the Forest Conservation Act must be vigorously applied wherever diversion of land is proposed, and elephant habitat declared ecologically sensitive under the Environment (Protection) Act. Finally, why not make the Indian elephant the national heritage animal, as the Task Force recommends? This newspaper made it a centrepiece of its masthead, symbolising strength and power, many decades ago.