Karnataka - Hassan   

Central approval required to kill rogue elephant

By Our Staff Correspondent

HASSAN, FEB. 11. The killing of two labourers by a rogue elephant in the Bysore reserve forest area of Mallipatna hobli in Arakalgud taluk on Wednesday night has caused panic among the people of the region.

The forest officials are helpless as the Union Government does not permit them to catch or kill elephants in the reserve forest area.

The people in the area are worried and fear venturing outside after sunset. The Principal Secretary, Forest, Environment and Ecology Department had requested the Secretary to the Ministry of Environment and Forests to send to send Sukumar from the Indian Institute of Science, an expert on elephant studies, and a team of officers and experts to study the wild elephant menace in Alur, Sakleshpur and Arkalgud taluks on November 11.

Crops destroyed

He said that people of the Malnad area are facing a number of problems due to attacks by wild elephants.

The elephants are destroying crops and no steps are being taken to solve the problem, he said. However the ministry has not responded to the appeal of the State Government.

The District Wildlife Warden, H.P. Mohan, spoke to The Hindu today and said that the apathy of the Union Ministry towards the problem and its refusal to permit the State forest authorities to kill the rogue elephant has created problems for people and caused a number of deaths in the region.

He said that the State should be given powers to deal with such situations.

A senior official said that the department is being attacked for not initiating action against the rogue elephant.

However, they cannot do anything till the Union ministry grants them permission for the same.

The Deputy Conservator of Forests, S. Shekar, said that the department has paid Rs. 5 lakhs as compensation to the family of deceased and crop compensation is also higher than last year. He said that the department will urge the ministry to give the forest authorities permission to kill the elephant.

He said that it is mostly migrant labour from other districts who are the victims of these elephant attacks.

Translocate elephants

Mr. Shekar said that the only solution to the problem is to translocate the elephants to a larger habitat such as the Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary.

Since the Nagarahole Wildlife Sanctuary is already overcrowded with around 2,500 elephants, a few of the elephants from the Bysore reserve should be moved to the Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary where there are only 200 elephants.

He said that the Hassan MP and former Prime Minister, H.D. Deve Gowda, has promised to take up the issue with the Union Minister for Forests and try to find a permanent solution to the problem.

He said that the problem is not serious in Alur, Sakleshpur taluks as the department has managed to scare away the elephants. Since there is no clear demarcation of the boundary between Kodagu and Hassan districts, it has become difficult to scare the elephants across to Kodagu.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Karnataka

News: Front Page | National | Tamil Nadu | Andhra Pradesh | Karnataka | Kerala | New Delhi | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous | Engagements |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary | Updates: Breaking News |

Stories in this Section

Central approval required to kill rogue elephant

Copyright © 2005, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu