The Assam Forest and Environment minister Parimal Suklabaidya on November 4th, 2019, said that the department has decided to tranquilise and relocate the elephants to prevent any possible unwanted situation.
The minister held a meeting with the forest officials of Goalpara district and reviewed the prevailing situation of man-elephant conflict in the district.
On October 30th, 2019, a wild elephant, nicknamed ‘Laden’ by the locals, trampled five people including an 11-year-old boy to death in Goalpara district. Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal had announced an ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh each to the next of kin of those killed in the attack.
In February 2019, the state government informed the Assembly that a total of 761 people and 249 jumbos lost lives during the human-elephant conflict since 2010. According to the data, human deaths, which were 61 in 2010, went up to 92 in 2018. Out of 249, 92 elephants died to electrocution, 54 were mowed down by trains, 53 died in accidents, 20 were killed by poachers and 30 were killed due to poisoning. On the other hand, a total of 1021 houses were destroyed by the wild jumbos in 2017-18 and 2034 houses in 2048-19.
Most of the human-elephant cases have been reported from Sonitpur, Udalguri, Baksa, Golaghat, Nagaon, Goalpara and Karbi Anglong district of the state.
Photo credit: @ParimalSuklaba1
