As elephants get near, people live in constant fear

Department to capture four jumbos to radio-collar and relocate them in a week’s time

Human-elephant conflict is no new phenomenon in villages of Sakleshpur, Alur, and Belur taluks. But these days, herds are spotted closer to human habitation than ever, say the villagers. A tusker is sometimes spotted taking a stroll in the middle of the street in broad daylight, or a herd is seen moving from one farm to another.

Parents remain worried until their children return home after school hours and plantation workers are worried about their safety as they cannot spot an elephant amidst thick greenery.

Earlier this month, a plantation worker in Ballupete was trampled to death by an elephant. The next day, a woman came under the attack and suffered serious injuries. In March this year, two workers in a coffee estate at Kadegarje died in a similar attack.

“People outside the locality do not understand the severity of the problem. The Forest Minister has not bothered to visit our area to assess the situation. Every day, we get video clips and photos showing elephants in different locations. Vast acres of plantation and paddy fields have been damaged,” said B.R. Manjunath, a planter in Sakleshpur taluk.

Members of the Sakleshpur block unit of Congress staged a protest on Bengaluru-Mangaluru Road condemning the government’s inaction. For years, the people of the district have been demanding a permanent solution to the conflict. They want all the elephants roaming in the area captured and relocated. The Forest Department did take up such efforts in the past as well. However, the number of incidents came down only momentarily.

The department has not begun putting up railway barricades to avoid the movement of the elephants. The local people argue that even barricades would not be the permanent solution. There are incidents where elephants have broken the barricades or crossed over.

The conflict has a long history in Hassan. Since the 1980s, many incidents have been reported. As per the latest reports available with the Forest Department, so far 75 people have died in elephant attacks in the last 10 years. Besides that, around 30 elephants have died either due to electrocution, gunshot or some other unnatural reason. A tusker was found dead near Areahalli in Belur taluk on Thursday morning with gunshot wounds.