Kolkata: The killing of a female elephant in Jhargram by throwing a flaming pointed iron spear that pierced her back, inflicting severe and fatal wounds, is condemnable, and points to the total failure of both intent and systems to mitigate human and elephant conflict in West Bengal, according to Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations (FIAPO).
The FIAPO demands the West Bengal government to immediately constitute an inquiry into this incident; and further recommends necessary steps for the State Forest Ministry/Department.
“Human-Elephant conflict, entirely because of bad policy, that ignores both the human and the animal interest — which can both co-exist, have turned the daily on ground elephant incursions into war like scenarios. It appears that now elephants and humans are at war with each other - and the recent brutal murder of the wild elephant, a gory, unfortunate reality that has left the state forest department, yet again, with blood on their hands,” said Alok Hisarwala, advocate, founder of the Centre for Research on Animal Rights, and FIAPO Trustee.
On 15th August, the day of India’s Independence, a Hulla party (group of villagers enlisted by the forest department to keep elephants away from human habitats) chased away a group of elephants that had strayed into Jhargram Town. A man had previously died in an encounter with a tusker from the same herd.
Hulla parties, which are controlled by the state forest departments, are supposed to use drums and other non-violent means to drive away elephants. But in this case, the crowd threw flaming iron spears at the elephants, one of which pierced the elephant’s back. A video that is being widely circulated shows the elephant with the fiery spear sticking out of its back, in agony. In the video, a child is heard telling her father, “Please let her go; she is in pain.” The elephant died the next day of its wounds.
In April 2023, another video had surfaced, again from South Bengal, showing a hulla party chasing away a herd of elephants by throwing burning torches, pointed spears, and by bursting crackers.
The death of the female elephant points to the complete failure of the forest department’s systems for managing human elephant conflict. Further, the use of the burning spear is in contempt of a 2018 Supreme Court order that specifically banned the use of spikes or spears.
The failure of the forest department to find humane solutions is resulting in the deaths of humans and elephants alike.
South Bengal is undoubtedly prone to extensive human and elephant conflict that is concerning. The 2018 Supreme Court order had acknowledged the difficulty of managing the conflict situation, given the topography of South Bengal, with its paddy fields and other crops that attract elephants. The apex court had directed that the close to 60% of positions lying vacant in the state forest department be filled so that the hulla parties could be managed by trained personnel.
The SC order had noted the concerns raised in the Guidelines for Management of Human Elephant Conflicts circulated by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on 6 October 2017, that “anti-depredation squads (ADS)… require a high level of coordination between divisions. However, the manner in which it is oftenmimplemented, operations of ADS is not systematic and there is a lack of standard operating procedures. There is lot of chaos in activities of ADS, with participation of local mobs which reduces their effectiveness. Shots are sometimes fired in the ground near the elephants to keep them moving towards the forests. Elephants, including calves, are also poked with iron spears to drive them.” The events of 15 August have seen exactly these fears confirmed.
The apex court had directed the West Bengal Forest department to consult experts to find methods for repelling and deterring elephants.
The Supreme Court prohibited the use of spikes or pointed spears, stating that, “As far as spikes of all kinds are concerned, it is categorically stated by learned counsel for the State of West Bengal that they are not being used and will not be used.”
However, this incident shows that the state government has ignored the Top Court’s direction and allowed the mitigation of human and elephant conflict to deteriorate into a violent battle on the ground.
Sagnik Sengupta, Director of Stripes and Green Earth (SAGE), a collaborating organisation based in Kolkata, says,“The West Bengal forest department has failed time and again on managing human and elephant conflict. The forest department staff is ill-trained and ill-equipped to handle situations like this. The Jhargram division has seen the deaths of two pregnant elephants within a year.”
Dr M. Ananda Kumar, Scientist, Nature Conservation Foundation, who has worked extensively on human-elephant conflict mitigation in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, stated,“We need conflict management strategies that are specific to the landscape, even within states. One state-wide
guideline will not do. Also, the forest department is not equipped to deal with the crop damage aspect of human-elephant conflict. It needs to consult others who do, like the agricultural and horticultural departments.”
