Odisha: 45 humans, 9 elephants killed in man-pachyderm conflict in last 6 months

At least 45 people were killed and several others injured in wild elephant attacks over the past six months, with Odisha reporting nine elephant deaths between 1 April and 15 September, the government informed the State Assembly on Tuesday.

The state is home to 2,103 elephants in 51 wildlife divisions, as per the latest census conducted in November 2024. Of the elephant fatalities, seven died of electrocution, while one each was reported dead due to train kill and poaching.

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Elephants roam from forest to forest in search of their food. Sometimes they enter villages, due to which conflicts between elephants and humans occur, and the government is taking the following steps to address this, the minister said.

Plantation of fodder trees for elephants in the forest, development of grazing land, creation of artificial reservoirs, protection from forest fires, anti-poaching camps, forest patrols, monitoring of wildlife and poachers’ movements, awareness, etc.

The wild animals wander villages searching for food due to shrinking habitats. The protected parks and wildlife sanctuaries, which confer habitation corridors for the elephants, face the onslaught of massive encroachment from people who live and forage, or graze cattle in the forests.

The human interference of this nature is giving rise to frequent man-pachyderm confrontations, said conservationist Biswajit Mohanty.

“Incidents of man-jumbo conflict are being reported across the state almost on a daily basis. People are getting restive. There is every possibility of people giving vent to their anger, targeting the animals,” said the conservationist.

“Elephants may face the backlash of agitated people. The poachers may also take advantage of the situation to lay a vicious trap to kill them. So, measures to curb the conflict need to be undertaken on a war footing,” added Mohanty.