The conflict between people and wild elephants in Sherpur's Garo Hills is becoming more dangerous by the day. Deforestation, expanding settlements and lack of food are driving herds of elephants into villages, where they destroy crops and homes. Angry farmers are using electrified GI wire as traps to protect their property, and elephants are dying one after another as a result. Meanwhile, local people are being killed in attacks by enraged elephants.

Despite the string of elephant deaths, the administration has been unable to take effective action. A government solar fencing project to protect crops from elephants has also failed, so people are resorting to illegal electric traps, which have become the main cause of elephant deaths.

Environmentalists say the lack of a safe sanctuary and enough food for the elephants is the root cause of the conflict. Local people say elephant attacks threaten their livelihoods and homes, and that the crisis is growing worse for lack of initiative and proper management by the administration.

The wide forests of the Garo Hills were once the elephants' free range, but over time the forest has been occupied and turned into farmland, shrinking their natural habitat. In 1995 about 20-25 elephants that had strayed from the hills of India's Meghalaya state entered the Garo Hills. Their number has now risen to 60-70, but there is not enough space or food for them, so they are forced to raid villages and farmland.

According to experts, one of the main reasons for this unusual migration is deforestation and the growing number of settlements in the hills. Garo, Koch, Dalu, Banai and Hodi indigenous communities have long lived in Sherpur's border upazilas of Nalitabari, Jhenaigati and Sreebardi. Their numbers have grown over time and settlements have been built on forest land. As the forest shrinks, the elephants' habitat is nearly destroyed, forcing the herds into human areas and creating conflict.

In Sherpur's border areas there has long been an allegation that residents on the Indian side drive herds of wild elephants into Bangladesh to protect their crops. This has increased the elephants' presence in Sherpur's border area, and they are forced to eat people's crops to survive.

According to villagers near the border, deforestation in India's Meghalaya state is driving the elephants into Bangladesh in search of food. No response on the matter was obtained from the Indian authorities.

The conflict takes its most dangerous form when farmers set electric traps to protect crops. Most recently, in October last year, a wild elephant died entangled in electric wire in Batkuchi village of Poragaon union on the Garo Hills border in Nalitabari. In this way 29 elephants have died in Sherpur's border area in the past decade, most of them caught in electric traps or falling into pits. On the other side, 35 people have been killed in elephant attacks. Yet only two cases have been filed so far over the killing of elephants.

"The elephants are breaking our houses and eating our crops, but the administration takes no action. Should we suffer losses for the elephants?" said local resident Anjana Marak.

"Every year when the paddy season comes, the elephants destroy our crops. Local people also die trying to resist them. Yet in this country more sympathy is now shown to elephants than to people. When a person dies we get no proper help, but if anything happens to an elephant, cases are filed in our names," said Chandan Hajong.

Local people allege that Sherpur borders India's Meghalaya state directly to the north, and that residents of the Indian border area drive elephant herds towards the Bangladesh border to protect their crops. The wild elephants then enter Bangladesh and come into conflict with local people.

A few years ago the government launched a solar fencing project in the border area to prevent elephant attacks, which is safer and more environment-friendly than mains-powered electric fencing. But for lack of proper supervision, the project did not work.

According to agriculture and environment experts, the solar fencing has become useless because it was not properly maintained. People are therefore forced to use illegal electric wire, which is killing elephants and is also dangerous for people.

Environmentalists say deforestation is bringing elephants into settlements, increasing conflict and pushing people to take revenge on the elephants.

Mugniur Rahman Moni, president of the environmental organisation SHINE, said the conflict will continue unless a sanctuary and enough food are arranged for the elephants. Deforestation must be stopped and the elephants' natural movement routes preserved, he said.

Environmentalists believe that protecting the elephants' natural habitat, stopping deforestation and providing enough food for them are urgent to resolve the conflict. International cooperation is also needed to manage and protect the elephants' movement in the border area.

Abul Kalam Azad, convener of Jan Udyog Sherpur, said those responsible for killing elephants must be brought to justice, otherwise the elephants' very existence will be threatened in future.

According to the Forest Department, it has filed a case over the latest incident in Nalitabari against 11 named people and several unnamed people.

Sherpur assistant conservator of forests Md Sadekul Islam Khan said: "We are taking strict measures to stop elephant killing. Legal action will be taken against those responsible."

Md Mahmudul Haque Rubel, former member of parliament for Sherpur-3 and president of the district BNP, believes a permanent solution is needed to the elephant-human conflict. A separate sanctuary and enough food must be arranged for the elephants, he said, and the problem cannot be solved without government and private initiatives.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.