A CORRESPONDENT
TANGLA: In order to support the field staff with proper field equipment for ensuring their whole-hearted involvement conservation of natural resources, noted wildlife conservationist, Nabajyoti Baruah along with local wildlife activist, Dibakar Nayak distributed high powered rechargeable torch lights among 30 frontline forest personnel of Nonai Forest Range, Bornadi Wildlife Sanctuary and Paneri Beat office in their office premises in Udalguri district on Thursday.
According to reports, award winning conservationist Baruah, who has taken up a slew of initiatives for protection of flora and fauna with special emphasis on human-elephant conflict, has been rendering yeoman's service in the field of wildlife conservation in Udalguri district for the past 12 years. From 2016 to 2018, he also took up banana plantation drive in Khalingduar Reserve Forest of Udalguri district, besides building bamboo watch towers (tongsi) in a number of locations to help the villagers keep vigil on the movement of wild elephants.
Pertinently, the Indo-Bhutan border areas of Udalguri district are fraught with incidents of human-elephant conflict over the past decade. The illegal human encroachment in the age-old elephant corridors by politically influential persons, former militants for the purpose of tea gardens and building estates, among others, has been the untold story behind the conflict which has undoubtedly posed serious threat to the ecology of the region.
According to official statistics, in Dhansiri division of Udalguri district alone, 31 elephants were killed against death of 76 humans in between 2016-2020. The data also reveals that 1,480 houses were damaged by wild elephants and 905 hectares of crop fields damaged by wild elephants in the period. In the year 2021, till date 6 elephants were killed against death of 7 humans.
Talking to this correspondent, conservationist Nabajyoti Baruah said, "We have to protect the remaining forest cover as the elephant corridors have been encroached, thereby shrinking the elephants food resources and each pachyderm needs at least 100 sq. km. of forest space and food in it for foraging, but now that space is getting lesser and lesser. Where else can they go?"
He further lamented the negligence and detrimental policies of the government towards resolving the menace. He also advocated that the only feasible option is to prepare people to handle man-animal conflicts better and the forest department should also help local vigilant groups in keeping a tab on the movement of jumbos. He also asserted that the government should adopt long-term strategies like planting saplings of banana and jackfruit, bamboo species in elephant corridors and reserve forests, which in the long run would act as fodder for wild elephants and go a long way in minimizing the casualties, besides conducting awareness meets in village levels.
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