Man-animal conflict rising in Karnataka: 43 lives lost in 8 months, action to prevent conflicts must

Bengaluru: In districts of North Karnataka and Malnad region, the farmers are reeling under attacks by leopards, bears, tigers and wild elephants. According to forest department data, 43 people died in the state in human-wildlife conflicts between April and November last year. 

Thirty were killed in elephant attacks, ten people died in Chamarajanagar, seven in Kodagu district, three in Ramanagara, two each in Bengaluru, Mysuru and Hassan and one in Shivamogga. Four people were killed in tiger attacks, three in leopard attacks, two each in bear and wild boar attacks and one due to monkey bite. One person was also killed by a crocodile.

Eshwar Khandre, Minister for Forest, Ecology and Environment speaking to the Republic said, "Nodal officers have already been appointed for nine districts where wildlife conflict is high. Rs 100 crore has been allocated in the budget. Steps have been taken to put up railway barricades in areas where elephant menace is high."

Thousands of hectares of crops have been destroyed in the attack. Apart from humans, thousands of domestic animals like sheep, poultry, and dogs have also lost their lives in leopard attacks.

Ineffective actions

1) Nodal officers have already been appointed for nine districts where conflict is high, but to no avail

2) Stay in the designated district for at least 2 days a week to handle the situation.

3) Rs 100 crore has been allocated in the budget to prevent the elephant from entering the country.

4) Railway barricades will also be put up in areas where the elephant menace is high.

Railway barricades, elephant corridors, wire fencing, and solar fences for elephant control projects have been implemented but have not been successful. Nodal officers have been appointed in nine districts of the state to prevent wildlife and human conflict in the state. The results are yet to be achieved.

Former CM HD Kumaraswamy speaking to the Republic said, "The government must prevent conflict between wildlife and people. The government's job is not just to provide compensation to the victims when attacked by wild animals. An action plan has to be drawn up to find a permanent solution to this conflict."

Why do animals come?

1) The population of wildlife is on the rise. The forest cover is decreasing due to encroachments and other reasons.

2) During the summer season, leopards, tigers and elephants are heading towards the country due to food scarcity and water scarcity in the forest.

3) Stone quarries and other mining are going on and resorts are coming up inside the dense forest.

Several committees have been formed to find solutions to a disaster. However, not a single committee's report has been made public so far. No remedial measures have been implemented.

Increase in leopard population

In fact, in the last 10 years, more than 300 people have been killed in leopard attacks in the old Mysuru region, most of them children, women and senior citizens. The number of injured is more than 800. According to data from the Union Environment Ministry, the leopard population in the country has increased by 60 per cent. In 2021, Karnataka had 1,783 leopards, while Madhya Pradesh had 3,421. Five years ago, a team led by Sanjay Gubbi had reported that there were more than 2,500 leopards. The number of leopards has increased from 1,500, 10 years ago to 2,500 in the 2017 census.