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the-south-asian.com September 2003 |
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September
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The Indian Elephant - are its days numbered? by Gyan Marwah
Though Project Elephant was launched with much fanfare over a decade ago it has still not yielded the desired results. There has been no significant increase in the population of the elephant. If things go the way they are it could be bad news for this gentle giant of the forest....
Though concern may be mounting at the dwindling population of the tiger, a lesser-publicized fact is that the Asian elephant too has started its dreaded march to extinction. Wildlife conservationists who had declared the Asian elephant an endangered species back in 1959 say that its plight is worse than that of its African counterpart. Though India, which has a long history of man-elephant links, possesses the largest population of elephants estimated at around 24,000 against around 40,000 in the whole of Asia, the Indian elephant too is on its way to obsolescence. Over a decade ago the government launched 'Project Elephant' or Gajatme to save the imperiled pachyderm. But does the setting up of the project guarantee action? Wildlife conservationists say the progress has been abysmally slow and those in charge of running the project are not even clear why the elephant population has been rapidly declining over the years. It is ironical that the elephant, which has been a part of the Indian mythology, should suffer this plight. Indian history and folklore would remain incomplete without references to the elephants. Their earliest mention dates back to around 3000 B.C. on the seals found at Harappan and the Indus Valley sites. In India the elephant has constituted not only a significant component of eco-system but has had an overwhelming impact on the socio-cultural, political and economic life as well. For thousands of years, elephants have been used in wars, in religious, social and cultural ceremonies and also as beasts of burden. Hindus also worship the elephant-headed deity, Ganesha. Ironically this long association with man has contributed to the gradual loss of elephant habitats. To meet the demands of settlement for the growing human population, vast areas under forests have been cleared for towns and villages. Between the fifties and seventies alone India lost over four million sq.kms. of forest cover which translates to about 12 per cent of the total geographic area under forest. Besides de-forestation there are a number of other factors to blame for the plight of elephants. First, the widespread development of agriculture, industrialization, mining activities construction of roads and railways which have all displaced elephants from their natural homes. Their traditional capturing too has resulted in the disruption of their social fabric.
Rampaging Poachers Most importantly it is the poachers who have been exploiting the worldwide demand for ivory and have been on the rampage for decades now. Besides, there are several other causes for the habitat degradation that has forced elephants to emigrate from their original homes to new areas. Experts believe that it is the natural tendency of elephants to disperse and expand their range. But in most cases they do so when they feel that adequate vegetation and water are not available to them. There are many examples of elephants leaving their original homes due to the depletion of forests.. Hundreds of elephants have left their centuries old home in Bihar's Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary. Some have strayed into West Bengal and others into Madhya Pradesh. As with most other issues the Bihar government has done nothing to make the sanctuary safe from poachers who roam free in these grasslands. Infact, the southern part of Bengal from where the elephant had virtually disappeared for more than a century, has suddenly become an attractive site owing largely to the success of participatory forest management programme. As a result, the tree- cover has increased in a big way and so elephants find this area more convenient for their survival. The elephant-man conflicts in some places have reached alarming levels. As dense forests give way to civilisation and agriculture, elephants hit by food crisis resort to wild raids, damage crops worth crores of rupees and kill hundreds of people every year. One serious concern for conservationists is that elephants need large areas covering over several thousands of square kilometers to maintain a viable population. Small patches of forests measuring a few hundred square kilometers are not sufficient and force them to go beyond their natural limits into areas of human settlement. In some cases elephants move away in herds in search of more livable conditions. In some parts of the country the last decade witnessed a dramatic increase in the migration of elephants. For example, from 1983 to 1986, a sizable number of elephants began their journey from the forests of Anekal-Hosur in Tamil Nadu and Bannerghatta in Karnataka to find alternative homes in other states. Of these, 39 moved to the forests of Andhra Pradesh, a state where there have been no elephants for centuries. Responding warmly to the surprise guests, the Andhra government set up the Kaundinya Wildlife Sanctuary where these elephants now stay and their population has increased to 50. Elephants which once monopolised large parts of India from evergreen forests and grasslands to dry thorn woods and swamps are no longer present in these areas. They now exist in four disjointed populations. In the north they are found in Uttar Pradesh, in the South in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu; Orissa and Bihar are their homes in central India; and in the North East they are found in West Bengal, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura. Within each geographical region elephant populations are again subdivided because of habitat fragmentation. Although the Wildlife [Protection] Act came into force in 1972, which banned hunting of, threatened species and gave legal powers to state governments to protect wildlife habitats, there are several gray areas in the policy. Poaching too goes on unabated, sometimes with the connivance of the authorities. The National Wildlife Action Plan, which was adopted in 1983 and provided the framework for conservation of wildlife, also did not yield the needed results. The victims have been both tigers and elephants that have continued to suffer at an alarming rate. Endangered Species The elephant's sorry plight was recognised by the government in 1990 when the Ministry of Environment and Forests took the initiative of setting up a task force for conserving this endangered species. After identifying several existing elephant reserves all over the country the task force launched Project Elephant in 1992 covering all states having elephant populations. Despite the fact that the name Project Elephant is similar to that of Project Tiger, the former differs from the latter in several key aspects. First, whereas tiger reserves have relatively small areas, the job of Project Elephant has been to try to ensure that elephant populations have free movements over their entire range. This means the area is designated as an "Elephant reserve" range. Secondly, the resolution of the increasing man-elephant conflicts is a major thrust of Project Elephant. Third, the menace of poaching and the illegal ivory trade which has had a terrible impact on elephant population would be tackled and the fourth is the issue of maintaining health care and breeding of tame elephants to ensure a healthy captive population. However, the fact is that though Project Elephant has entered its fifth year it has still not yielded the desired results. In these years, there has virtually been no increase in population. The elephant continues to pay a heavy toll. If things go the way they are it could be bad news for the elephant. But an optimistic section of the conservationists are keeping their fingers crossed and hoping for better days for this gentle giant of the forest. ELEPHANT RESERVES IN INDIA UNDER PROJECT ELEPHANT Reserves - Area [in Sq.kms] - Elephants
Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary [Bihar] - 9000 - 2500-3000
Kameng-Sonitpur [Arunachal & Assam] - 7500 - 1200
Dibru – Deomali [Arunachal & Assam] - 5000 - 1800
Kaziranga-Karbelong-Intanki [Assam & Nagaland] - 4500 - 1500-2000
Barail – Saifung [Assam & Meghalaya] - 1500 - 150
Nilambur - Silent Valley [Kerala & Tamilnadu] - 2500 - 500
Anamalai – Parambikulam [Tamil Nadu, Kerala] - 3000 - 1000
Periyar-Madurai [Tamil Nadu] - 3000 - 1600-2000
Rajaji-Corbett[UttarPradesh] - 8000 - 750-1000
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