58 elephants died in Odisha in last eight months

The lockdown clamped in the wake of COVID-19 has proved a disaster for the elephants in Odisha. In the last eight months of lockdown, 58 of them have been found dead in the state.

Bhubaneswar: The deaths of 58 elephants in the last eight month in Odisha have now emerged as a major concern for animal lovers as well as the State government.

According to the Voice for Elephants Society, an animal-loving association, the deaths are attributed to poaching, electrocution and other unknown reasons.

As many as 58 elephants had lost their lives between October 2019 and June 2020. Along with this, the fight between elephants and human beings has also resulted in a loss of 85 human lives and injuries to 119 persons.

Anyway, concern has been expressed from several quarters over the increasing number of deaths of elephants. Not only that during this lockdown period also, but as many as 16 elephants had also lost their lives.

The Forest department had rolled out Gajabandhu scheme last year to track elephant movement to minimise human-elephant conflict and improve intelligence networking to counter poachers and individuals who try to harm the jumbos to protect their own crop fields.

But the scheme was implemented on a pilot basis in Athagarh, Dhenkanal and Angul but is yet to be extended to other forest divisions.

Meanwhile, as many as 16 elephant deaths have been reported in the last one-and-half months. Wildlife experts, however, said given the magnitude of wildlife loss, the action appeared too insignificant.

The Executive Director of Voice For Asia Elephant Society Sangita Iyer has put the blame directly on the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), Hari Shankar Upadhaya. She has questioned the efficiency of the senior-most forest officer of the state and also written a letter to the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik explaining everything.

"The actions being taken against forest and energy department officials are just eye-wash. In most cases, officials are asked explanations and those culminate in suspension. After a few months, they are reinstated in the job. In absence of visible stringent action, officials do not become sincere to rectify lapses," said Sangita Iyer.

Odisha has turned out to be a graveyard of the elephants. Over five elephants were killed due to poaching and electrocution in June. The carcass of a three-year-old male elephant, with bullet injury mark on the body, was found in the Mundeswara forest under Madhapur forest range of Boudh district on June 17, reports said.

The incident happened just three days after two elephants were found electrocuted by poachers in the Joda section of Champua range in Keonjhar district on June 14. The tusks of the male elephant were missing.

An elephant calf also died under similar circumstances at Rutukepedi forest under Kuanrmunda range of Sundargarh district on June 12. The calf was reportedly killed by the poachers who had laid a trap to capture a wild boar.

The Voice For Asia Elephant Society, while demanding an inquiry into each elephant death case, says the main reason Odisha is turning into a graveyard for the animal is lack of accountability.