Assam reports 71 human and 41 elephant deaths in rising man–elephant conflict

Guwahati, Nov 19: The human-elephant conflict in Assam is escalating rapidly, resulting in a worrying rise in fatalities, crop destruction, and property damage across the State.

According to data compiled by conservationists, Assam has recorded 71 human deaths and 41 elephant deaths so far this year, with human casualties particularly high.

“Between October 23 and November 16 alone, the State witnessed 11 unnatural elephant deaths due to deliberate electrocution,” conservationist Kaushik Barua said.

With paddy ripening in the fields and livelihoods at risk, he warned that conflict is likely to intensify unless the government takes urgent measures. “Deliberate electrocution of elephants has become an epidemic,” he added.

Barua further questioned how much more pressure the Asian elephant can withstand in the wild, citing shrinking habitats, environmental degradation, climate change, train collisions, and electrocution as key threats.

Highlighting that even during floods or other natural disasters human death tolls rarely reach such high numbers, Aaranyak secretary general Bibhab Kumar Talukdar has written to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma pointing out gaps in the current response and requesting immediate intervention.

Talukdar noted that conflict incidents can be reduced only if multiple departments work together, instead of placing the entire burden on the forest department.

Since human-elephant conflict has already been declared a ‘State Disaster’ in Assam, he proposed that ex gratia compensation for human deaths be disbursed by the State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) within two working days. Faster compensation, he said, could help reduce resentment and prevent retaliatory killings of elephants.

He also recommended that in cases where families refuse post-mortem, a registered government doctor’s report should be accepted as valid documentation.

He further stressed that all cases of illegal electrocution of elephants should be investigated by the police to ensure culprits are punished, thereby deterring further incidents.

Talukdar also urged that ex gratia payments for crop and property damage be handled by the ASDMA rather than the forest department, arguing that these incidents occur primarily in non-forest, human-inhabited areas.

“The compensation should be delivered within 14 working days. Shifting this responsibility to the ASDMA would ease the administrative burden on forest officials, allowing them to focus on maintaining elephant habitats – national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and reserved forests – in optimal condition so that elephants have sufficient natural food sources and are less likely to enter human settlements,” he felt.

According to a study, between 2000 and 2023, 1,468 people lost their lives and 337 others were injured in encounters with elephants in Assam. During the same period, 626 elephants died due to anthropogenic causes.