GUWAHATI, Feb 9 - Battling the growing man-elephant conflict, the forest department will soon radio-collar leaders of problematic herds in a bid to manage the problem scientifically. The experiment is likely to begin from Nagaon and Sonitpur districts where movements of some elephant herds are being monitored by expert teams.
�Radio-collaring will enable us to monitor the herds as well as find out their habits... their movement in particular months, paths they follow and other behaviour patterns,� a senior forest official told The Assam Tribune.
The task in hand for the forest department, before it goes ahead with the plan, is to identify the herds it would track and their leaders. The leaders will have to be taken out and then the GPS gadgets fixed. Each device costs around Rs 2 lakh.
Officials said the first herd to be tracked is likely to be the one which moves between Salna and Chapanala in Nagaon district. �Currently, the herd is in the Karbi Anglong foothills. Though the herd has around 70 members, it splits and moves in groups of 20-30. It normally stays in the Suang reserve forest,� they said.
�This is one of the most problematic herds which frequently moves into human habitats and creates problems, destroying crops and often killing humans,� the officials added.
There are two more herds in Nagaon district � one at Kathiatoli comprising around 15 individuals and the other one which moves near Jakhalabandha.
Sonitpur district is likely to be the next place where the elephant herds will be tracked.
States like Kerala and West Bengal have been using the GPS gadgets to mitigate man-elephant conflicts in their states.
Man-elephant conflict has been rising in the State, with over 57 elephant casualties and 62 civilian deaths last year alone (till October). According to estimates, the population of elephants in Assam is around 5,700 and they face a serious challenge now due to dwindling forest cover. Assam had a tradition of capturing elephants, but commercial capture of elephants in the State had stopped after 1987.
Recently, one problematic elephant, which frequented the city of Guwahati from Amchang was radio-collared, but officials say the device has stopped working due to snags in the battery.