Wild elephant menace increasing in Jhapa

By Bishnu Prasad Pokharel,Damak, Dec. 6: Wild elephants from India enter the Nepali settlements of Bahundangi in Jhapa district by crossing the Mechi River.  They enter Nepal in herds in search of food, cause damage to property and kill locals every year.

Bahundangi locals, who have been facing the problem of elephants for years, said that nothing effective has been done to solve the problem.

 Moreover, locals argue that the threat and risk have increased further with behavioural changes in the wild elephants.

“Bahundangi is a major entry point for Indian wild elephants into Nepal. Only two weeks ago, 58 elephants had entered Bahundangi from India. The herd has now returned,” said Arjun Karki, Ward No. 4 Chairman of Mechinagar Municipality.

Meanwhile, Karki informed that the trend of damage by the wild elephants was changing with time. 

“The elephants are also damaging other settlements except Bahundangi nowadays,” Karki added.

As the risk of wild elephants prevails in the neighbouring areas of India as well, the youths of both sides have formed a Rapid Response Team (RRT). The team analyses the movements and behaviours of the wild elephants, share information and alerts locals among others.

“Earlier, elephants used to move in groups. It was easier for us as we would also gather in a single spot and chase them away. But, nowadays, elephants are leaving the herd and travelling in search of food by themselves,” said Karki.

Last week, two individuals were killed by the wild elephants in Jhapa district.

Herds of wild elephants are often sighted in Jhapa’s Mechinagar, Haldibari, Damak, Shivasatakshi and Kamal areas. The scenario is also similar in the nearby districts of Morang and Sunsari.

Rabin Khadka, a resident of Itahari, Sunsari, was killed in the attack of an elephant this week. Kamal Majhi, a 53-year-old of Belbari, Morang, was also killed by an elephant on Monday.

“Until a year ago, a herd of up to 150 elephants entered Bahundangi from India. They would move together. But now the trend has changed. Families of elephants are moving separately,” said Shankar C. Luitel, an elephant researcher. 

Luitel argued that it could be speculated that the distribution of movement was a result of a lack of enough food while staying together.

“Elephants entering from Bahundangi return after visiting the Koshi Tappu area. It is an ancient route/corridor for the elephants. The corridor has been encroached on now. With settlements established along the same corridor, elephants have started returning from Damak’s Hamsedumse Community Forest,” said Luitel.

Devendra Kumar Kharel, a wildlife activist, suggested the need for proper research and a commitment to preventing and conserving wildlife to mitigate human-animal conflict.

“Authorities have even failed to make the locals of regularly affected areas aware of the behaviours of elephants, ways of preventing attack and other preventive measures. Awareness would reduce the number of fatal attacks,” said Kharel.

Jeevan Pathak, forest officer at the Jhapa District Forest Office, informed that there was an acute shortage of food for elephants entering the district.

“Studies show that the forests in the district can provide food for up to four elephants at maximum. We can mitigate human-elephant conflict by increasing food for the increasing number of tuskers,” said Pathak.