The elephants entering Jhapa district every year in herds of 100 to 150 not only destroy property worth millions, but also pose threat to the lives of the locals, who are now contemplating taking extreme measures to get rid of the tuskers. [break]
“The people are now agitated and they could even kill the elephants if need be,” a conservation worker engaged in field research in Jhapa said on condition of anonymity. According to the source, people have been more violent after an elephant killed a man in this VDC a month ago.
Going by the trend, the herds are let lose during rice plantation season, which begins in the month of Asar.
Last year, the government spent Rs 3 million for building trenches and erecting electric fences in the area to prevent the entry of the elephants. But authorities have said neither has worked. While the floods from Mechi river have swept away half the trenches, the fences have remained ineffective due to constant load-shedding.
“The elephants are entering from the gaps left in between the fences,” Manoj Gautam, a conservationist, shared with myrepublica.com from Jhapa.
He informed that the poles are very thin to hold the herds in time of their entries.
Gautam further said there is huge possibility of further damage by the herds. “If action is not taken on time, last year´s experience may repeat.”
He also said all local-level tactics to chase away the herds have failed now. “The locals used to burst fire crackers to scare the tuskers earlier but they are hardly scared now,” Gautam said.
WWF-Nepal has said that the main problem is emanating due to lack of local ownership to the fences as locals are found to have stolen wires, poles and other items.
The District Forest Officer of Jhapa, Sudhir Koirala, was not available for comment.
Nepal has raised the issue of human-elephant conflict in eastern part of the country with India. In the trans-boundary meeting held in New Delhi two weeks ago, the issue was raised and both sides agreed to go for a common solution to the problem.
“The issue was raised in Delhi and both sides have agreed to find a common solution,” Diwakar Chapagain of WWF-Nepal said.
The West Bengal state government of India, too, is said to have proposed dialogue with Nepali authorities in this regard.
akanshya@myrepublica.com
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