Published in Dwarka Express on 24.2.24

Can an elephant can solve an arithmetic calculation? Can it even dance to the tune of its trainer? Yes, it is all possible in an animal show in Singapore or Thailand. Or perhaps, a temple elephant in Tamil Nadu temple may bless you, when you give some banana or money. It is simply a myth that elephant remembers anyone who attacks it even after several years and would take revenge. Or a trained elephant in Thevar film in 70s (Tamil Nadu) may even shed tears when the owner is ill. But in reality, these things never happen. Research has established that elephants also have family life and show affection to its calf. They move in team and have a set established behaviour of course.

If an elephant ‘trespasses’ its jurisdiction, the well-established understanding is that such behaviour is in search of food or water. But if such behaviour is condemnable, then human behaviour to crazily going behind money, power or worldly pleasures is also unacceptable. It is understandable that forest officials are expected to keep a vigil on the animal movement. The wild animals invade the human establishments quite frequently and it is a cause for concern undoubtedly. Every alternate day, there is a news item in papers. Elephant menace has become the order of the day. On Monday, 26.2.24, one man was killed and two were injured in Munnar, Kerala and various political parties were protesting against the incident. Blame game and mutual mudslinging followed. This is not an isolated case. Within last 2 months four persons were killed in Munnar region. In Anuppur district in Madya Pradesh, villagers clashed with forest officials after a young man was killed by an elephant. It was sequel to the chasing away the elephant by villagers after the pachyderm destroyed the crops in Jaithari forest range. In yet another case, the kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan ordered a high-level Ministerial meeting in Wayanad to chaclk out strategies for confronting man-animal conflicts effectively since three people were killed in the near past. Rather inter-state conflict between Karnataka and Kerala brewed up as a result of a rogue elephant migrating from Karnataka to Kerala. The State Government released Rs 15 lac to the Kerala victim, which ended in a conflict with opposition expressing dissatisfaction with the Government’s action of releasing tax money to other state.

Such conflicts and unrest amidst people are not without logic. Undoubtedly, human life is very important and precious too. However, the question arises. ‘Who will raise their voices for the voiceless?’ The animals lack the sixth sense and they never know whether they are going out of the forest jurisdiction. Let us not forget that rampant deforestation on one hand and wildlife preservation efforts go hand in hand. Our forest policies have undergone sea change of late. In the interest of creating infra structures like roads and mines, we comfortably forget the need for conservation of forests. Destruction of forests is bound to affect the existence of the dependent wild life and such incidents are bound to happens unless we give a serious thought to a comprehensive, all-pervasive forest policy keeping in mind the basic tenets of sustainable development goals. There is no point in simply grumbling over climate change, monsoon failure and resultant drought.