62 elephants killed in Nepal: 48 electrocuted, 35 deaths in eastern region
KATHMANDU, March 7: A total of 62 elephants have been killed while 349 people have lost their lives in elephant attacks over the past 24 years in Nepal.
A male elephant, approximately 15 years old, was found dead on February 19 near Dandajai, Laljhadi Rural Municipality-4, Kanchanpur district. According to the Division Forest Office, Kanchanpur, the postmortem report revealed that the elephant died due to electric shock.
According to Office Chief Rambichari Thakur, the elephant might have died after getting trapped in an electric trap set by locals in response to the damage caused by the elephant. “Elephants cause significant trouble in the Laljhadi, rehabilitation area of Kanchanpur. In the current fiscal year alone, elephants have killed three people there. One person was injured due to an elephant attack,” he said, “On-site studies also show that electric wires have been laid in the fields and we conclude that the elephant was electrocuted by those wires.”
Similarly, two elephants died in Bardiya in the first week of Falgun (mid-February). The elephants were found dead in the Jharsaluwa Community Forest of Thakurbaba Municipality-3 and another in the field located in Thakurbaba-4 in Bardiya. The Bardiya National Park has claimed that the death was due to natural causes.
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Meanwhile, a Makuna elephant was killed in the Kumroj Intermediate Community Forest in Chitwan National Park on February 5. The investigation committee formed regarding Makuna's death has submitted a report stating that the elephant's death was caused by a gunshot fired by the military in self-defense.
Elephants have been killed by humans in several parts of the country for various reasons. Ashok Ram, the chief conservation officer and elephant researcher at Bardiya National Park, said that four elephants have died in the past month.
He claims that there was no human error in the deaths of elephants, except for in Kanchanpur. According to him, 62 elephants have been killed in Nepal over the past 24 years, out of which 48 were electrocuted, 8 were shot, and 6 were killed by poachers. During this period, 35 elephants have been killed in Jhapa, Morang, Sunsari, and Saptari.
He said that wild elephants have been targeted by humans since they started entering human settlements. “Previously, elephants lived in areas where human settlements now exist. Elephants are trying to return to their old habitats,” he said, “This is why humans are killing elephants.”
Wild elephants have started entering human settlements. These elephants, especially in the central regions, have been troubling the people. Not only have they damaged crops, but they have also caused human fatalities. In the past 24 years, 349 people have died from elephant attacks, said Ram.
According to Ram, the elephants that have caused the most human deaths in Nepal include Ronaldo, Dhubre, Govinde, Ganesh, Yamgaj, Ganeshgaj, and Romeo. In Chitwan, Dhubre, Ronaldo, and Govinde have troubled people. He said that elephants cause the most harm in Jhapa and Bardia. “There are five elephants causing trouble in Jhapa, but they don’t have names. In Bardia, there are three elephants known as Bardia Dares,” he said.
Wild elephants have been entering human settlements in the districts of Saptari, Udayapur, Illam, Sunsari, Siraha, Parsa, Chitwan, and Kanchanpur, which touch the Chure region.
According to him, there are currently 407 elephants in Nepal, both wild and domesticated. Among them, 227 are wild elephants, while there are 180 domesticated elephants. Ram said that, of the domesticated elephants, 110 belong to the government, and 70 are owned by private businesses. Additionally, he said that around 150 elephants regularly come from India. He said that conflicts have increased in recent times as humans encroach elephant habitats and establish settlements.
“Elephants follow the paths their ancestors walked, but now human settlements have been established on the biological paths that elephants used to walk,” he said, “Conflicts are increasing as humans obstruct elephants, who cannot live in confined spaces.”
He said that the habitat for elephants is also decreasing. An elephant can give birth to up to seven babies. As there is matriarchy in elephants, they move in groups led by the grandmother. The group division is also made by the elephant's grandmother. Due to their enhanced sense of smell, elephants can perceive conditions up to 25 kilometers away.
