GENTLE GIANTS | Wildlife and Ecology

Securing the

Gentle Giants of East India

'Securing the Gentle Giants of East India' is one of the major long-term project of Sarisha Wildlife and Ecology Society (WNE - India) under which we are focusing on the removal of human elephant conflict by prioritizing the understanding of micro and macro level behavior pattern and habitat utilization of the Asian Elephants as well as analyzing the human elephant conflict frequency, intensity and pattern inside Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal.

In the last three decade the 'Gentle Giants' or simply the Asian Elephants are facing one of the most devastating challenges in the form of transformation of landscapes, developmental works and agricultural reformation in East Indian States (Odisha Jharkhand and West Bengal) which drastically damages their natural habitats such as the Dalma Hill Forest and Ajodhya Hill Forest areas. In one hand, various Mining Programs, Hydro Power Projects, Road and other necessary constructional works, totally shifted the habitats and migration routes. In the other hand, the anthropogenic pressure and Green Revolution has helped to fuel the issue into bigger stage. As per the recent data revealed in the Rajya Sabha, in the last five years (2019 to 2024), 2829 human deaths linked with human-elephant conflict in India. Out of which 1534 cases are only from East Indian States which is actually more than 50% of the total cases. On the other hand, 528 elephants died due to the same conflict in India in the same tenure. Out of which more than 150 cases are only from East India. Interestingly, despite having only 11% of the total elephant population of India, the Eastern Indian states are leading in the human- elephant conflict cases from other regions of India.

Elephant herd migrating from West Bengal to Jharkhand through Chandil - Matha Corridor

Currently there are 23 existing elephant corridors in East India which are playing key role in the future for the elephants. Moreover, as per the governmental reports, the elephant declined in India by 20% in the last 5 years in India where only in the East Indian States the declination reports are shocking. In Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal (Southern parts) the declination is 68%, 84% and 54% respectively.

On 12th August, 2018, WNE - India has officially launched this program in the Purulia district of West Bengal. Currently this program is ongoing in all the three states of East India where elephants are roaming in the wild and 7 corridors out of the 23 are under our working zones.

Our major activities to achieve our goals are as following,

Identify Vulnerable Stretches and Ecological Feasibility of the Entire Habitat of the Corridor Areas:

We monitor the elephant activities for 24*7 in our working areas. This monitoring work has been done through transact methods, dung rate analysis, conflict data, village level questionnaire survey and data sharing through other governmental sources by our trained technical team as well as various technology-based devices that directly provide us elephant movement and conflict-based data. From this regularly gathered data, our expertise elephant research team analyze the data thoroughly and understand how much the actual ecological feasibility is there in the habitat of each of the corridors of the working area. Moreover, these analyzed data also helped in identifying the major vulnerable stretches inside the study area. We have completed this activity in 4 established corridors of East India. and currently this work in ongoing in 3 more corridors.

Studying the Elephants from Forest Departmental Elephant Management Vehicles in South West Bengal

Prepare Corridor Specific Elephant Management Planning to Reduce Human Elephant Conflict:

Understanding the Specific Elephant Movement & Conflict Pattern inside the Mahilong - Kalimati Corridor

For any site-specific developmental projects, there are certain possibilities of forest diversion works. Due to this kind of diversion works an often the wildlife face huge challenges. For this, Forest Department always prepare one wildlife management plan (WLCP) for the specific area. in the elephant habitat or movement area we do directly involve in the preparation of WLCP to help the forest department to make a strong and sustainable Wildlife Management Plan (WLCP) so that the conflict does not increase due to the project and in some cases the conflict might reduce. Though this completely depends on how properly the plan has been executed throughout the years. Apart from that, we often also prepare elephant management plan to reduce conflicts and manage the elephants in particular areas. So far we have prepared 9 WLCP for the West Bengal Forest Department out of which in 4 results are already coming positive as per the planning.

Habitat Enrichment inside Corridor Area:

A ideal elephant habitat needs sufficient fodder plants inside the area, along with proper canopy cover or resting areas for the elephants and the last but most important is, enough source of waters in the form of waterbodies. These three are the only thing an elephant or a herd of elephant needs. We are directly involved in habitat enrichment work. Currently we have running 3 fodder nursery by engaging local forest adjacent villagers to support the forest department with elephant fodder supply for habitat enrichment works. Still now we have distributed more than 5 lacs of elephant fodder saplings in 11 corridor areas for habitat enrichment works. We are also working on solving the water sources for the elephants inside the forest habitat. We have strategically planned major waterbody areas in multiple corridor areas which turned out to be very much successful after the forest department executed that. Currently we are also working on providing solar pumps to ensure the water level in the waterbodies in the summer season.

Preparation of Fodder Saplings for habitat enrichment work in Chandil Matha Corridor

Promote Alternative Crop Management to Reduce Conflict in the Forest Adjacent Villages:

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Alternative Crop (Mentha) Cultivation in Jhunjhka - Bandwan Corridor Area to reduce cropping Field Damage from Elephants

One of the most frequent forms of human - elephant conflict case is cropping field damage. Each year a huge crop damage has been observed due to elephant conflict in the conflict prone areas. As a part of our activity, we organize regular village level meetings in the vulnerable stretches to promote alternative crop management in those areas. As a result of our regular promotion, many villagers tried this alternative crop management pattern with us and after observing the changes completely shifted their cropping pattern. Though this work needs to be promoted in more areas to reduce this conflict majorly. Moreover, the concept of rice feeding of Elephants is itself a major threat to elephants as this is massively shifted their dietary behavior from comparatively complex Cellulosic diet to comparatively simple carbohydrate diet. This can bring major chances in elephant behavior and ecology. Currently we are able to convince 35 farmers to shift their crop patterns from paddy to other.

Organize Capacity Building Programs in the Conflict Prone Villages:

As a part of this project one of our major goal is to organize various capacity building programs to handle the conflict issues. We organize training programs for the frontline forest departmental staffs and villagers who are involved in elephant management during the human elephant conflict cases. We also provide gumboots to forest departmental staffs and villagers which will help them in running in the uneven forest lands. We also help the villagers of conflict prone areas to build temporary/permanent Manchan to watch the elephants during night and prevent in crop damage. So far we have organized more than 100 training programs for both the departmental staffs and villagers. We have provided gumboots to 125 villagers and 15 forest departmental staffs so far and build a total of 137 temporary Manchan and 2 permanent Manchan in 7 corridors.

Preparing Manchan in an Elephant Conflict Prone Village (Pitidhiri) to Prevent Crop Damage during Night from Elephants

Studying Elephant Behavior and Habitat Utilization Methods inside the Study Area:

Our team is regularly studying the elephant behavior and their habitat utilization throughout the year inside the working areas. This study majorly includes their interactions with each other, their diet variation habitat wise and their activities during crop damage or hut damage or any other form of conflict process. Our study not only based on secondary data such as sign surveys or dung analysis, we also monitor the elephants through drone survey. This helps us to understand their ecology in more depth. So, far we have published research articles related to human death due to elephant attacks and many more works on their ecology and behavior are going to be publish in some times. Currently this studies are ongoing in Odisha and West Bengal State. In the financial year 2025-26 this study will begin in Jharkhand also.

Studying Elephant Habitat Utilization inside the Ajodhya Hills, Purulia with Forest Departmental Staffs

Current Activities under this Project:

Studying the Ecological disturbance in Southern West Bengal for the Asian Elephants
Habitat Enrichment for Elephants in Bargarh district of Odisha
Building 150 new temporary Manchan in Odisha and West Bengal to reduce crop damage in the conflict zones
Studying the Elephant Corridor in Southern West Bengal
Understanding the Elephant Communication in East India