Elephant Conservation Programme

A Lone Tusker

Elephant is an animal included in Schedule-I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. A complete ban on ivory trade was imposed in 1991. Project Elephant was launched in February 1992 by Govt. of India to consolidate the programmes for conservation of elephant and its habitat. The Project seeks to address (a) the threats to the survival of elephant in our country on account of loss of its habitat, migration path and poaching for tusks; and (b) issues arising out of elephant depredation in villages. Project Elephant also seeks (i) to maintain an appropriate size of the population in any habitat to safeguard it against extinction; and (ii) to maintain genetic continuity of isolated populations, which are otherwise susceptible to inbreeding.

OBJECTIVES OF PROJECT ELEPHANT

- To conserve and protect elephant populations and to ensure that any population remains healthy and viable within its ecosystem.
- To conserve and protect the habitat of the elephant, and to reverse the deterioration of these habitats.
- To conserve, protect, and open up traditional migration corridors linking the different habitats.
- To create conditions, through eco-development activities, welfare measures and mitigation of elephant depredation for nurturing the traditional compassion and tolerance of the people living in and around elephant habitats.
- To take concrete measures to protect the elephant from poaching and other threats.
- To create viable mechanisms to ensure inter-state and inter regional coordination in protecting and conserving the elephant and its ranges,
- To create infrastructure and facilities, including training of manpower, for conservation support activities, veterinary care, humane methods of tranquilising and translocation, etc.
- To encourage, and create facilities for research related to the ecological significance of elephant and veterinary care of the animal.
- To educate people about the ecological significance of conserving the elephants and to revive the historical reverence and compassion for elephants.
- To devise strategies and programmes of providing alternative source of livelihood to craftsmen and communities adversely affected due to ban on the trade of ivory products.

A Lone Tusker

"Because the elephant requires much larger home range than any other terrestrial animal, it is usually one of the first species to suffer the consequences of habitat fragmentation and destruction." Elephant Reserves offer hope to rejuvenate some of the fragmented habitats.

Three Elephant Reserves (ERs)-- the Mayurbhanj ER, Mahanadi ER and Sambalpur ER were notified in the State in the years 2001 and 2002 to define the prime elephant habitats and to launch various management interventions for conservation of elephant. The extent of notified and proposed forest blocks in these three reserves is 4129 sq. km, and the geographical area covered by these three reserves is 8509 sq. km. In order to (a) include most of the remaining important elephant habitats within ERs, (b) redress the problem of rising number of cases of elephant depredation and (c) reverse the trend of habitat fragmentation and degradation, it is proposed (i) to expand the area of Mahanadi and Sambalpur ERs, and (ii) to constitute two new ERs called the Brahmani-Baitarani ER and the South Orissa ER. After declaration the forest area comprised within ERs will be about 25% of the total forest area of the state; and about 90% of the elephants will be within the Reserves.

Map of Mayurbhanj Elephant Reserve

The description of the ERs are as follows:

SIMILIPAL-KULDIHA-HADGARH ELEPHANT RESERVE
(Constituted: September 2001)

Location

Districts: portions of Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Bhadrak and Keonjhar

Area of the Reserve:
The Mayurbhanj ER comprises of the following areas.

BADRAMA-KHALASUNI ER
(Constituted: March 2002; Revision Proposed March 2004)

Map of Sambhal Elephant Reserve

Location
Districts: Sambalpur, Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Sonepur Forest Divisions: (Parts) of: Bamra, (Wildlife), Bonai, Sambalpur (N), Sambalpur (S), Rairakhol.

(Constituted: June, 2002; Revision Proposed March 2004)

Location
Districts: Angul, Cuttack, Nayagarh, Kondhmal, Dhenkanal Forest Divisions: Portions of Angul, Athagarh, Cuttack, Nayagarh, Boudh and Dhenkanal, and entire Satkosia Wildlife Division, Mahanadi Wildlife Division and Athamallik Forest Division.

Map of Mahanadi Elephant Reserve

Elephant Conservation Issues
The factors impinging on conservation of elephants in Orissa fall under two distinct categories.
a. Activities like hunting for tusks and killing by villagers in retaliation for depredation caused by single elephants or herds;
b. Diversion of forest lands, mainly for mining and reservoir projects; encroachment and shifting cultivation leading to loss/ decline/fragmentation/degradation of elephant habitat.

Strategy and Action Plan
(i) Constitution of 'Elephant Reserves' by including the contiguous elephant habitats, ranges and the corridors between them.
(ii) Evolving appropriate management of the designated 'Elephant Reserves' and other Elephant Habitats and conservation of the traditional migratory paths.
(iii) Measures to minimise the problem of crop-raiding, house damage and killing of humans. Popularising 'Elephant ethics', i.e. ways of dealing with straying elephants by villagers.
(iv) Management of problem elephants or 'Problem Populations' by means of capture / translocation/ domestication and other methods.
(v) Adoption and use of elephants for Eco-tourism, forest patrolling, and for driving, depredating elephants from village areas to forest, or from one habitat to another, ensuring proper upkeep and care of the animals. Methods of capturing have to be humane. Emphasis to be laid on training of mahouts.
(vi) Improvement of the quality and security of the life of the human population who share any elephant habitat and its resources for daily living.
(vii) Research on aspects of elephant conservation, (viii) Education and awareness campaign
(ix) Setting up of veterinary units for medical attention to sick elephants in each Elephant Reserve
(x) Training of mahouts and elephant managers

Map of South - Orissa Elephant Reserve

Distribution in Orissa
In Orissa elephants are not seen in ten districts, namely Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapada, Bhadrakh, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Malakangiri, Bargarh, Sonepur and Bolangir. Estimation of elephant population is carried out periodically throughout the state. The last estimation was carried out during 5th to 7th May 2002.

Captive elephants
The elephant motif is prominent among the sculptures in the ancient temples and caves in the state, and the Maharaja of Puri is known as the "Gajapati". Captive elephants used to be kept by the princely states but the practice of having personal collection of elephants has died out. The changed scenario has reflected on the 'Mahouts' who mastered the skill of elephant-maintenance. The mahouts have gradually gone into oblivion along with the disappearance of the tradition of keeping elephants.

There are captive elephants now only in some of the 'camps' under the Wildlife Organisation. In Nandankanan the elephants are used for joy rides by visitors. In Similipal, the elephants are used by staff patrolling for habitat or wildlife protection, particularly when the roads get cut off in the rains or where 'elephant power' is required to be deployed.