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February 11, 2017

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Man, elephants fight for space in India

WILDLIFE activists say human encroachment in the forests of northeast India have forced elephants out of their natural habitats, triggering conflicts with locals.

Conservationists have urged the government to prevent encroachments and free the corridors that are used by elephants to move across forests in search of food.

In recent years, there have been many incidents where wild elephants have entered villages, destroyed crops and killed people.

Forest official DD Gogoi said yesterday that in the latest incident, forest guards had to set fire to wild grass to drive back three wild elephants that came out of the Amchang Reserve forest in Assam state.

Villagers pelted elephants with stones but were chased away by the animals until rangers came to their rescue.

“It’s an alarming situation. The elephants rampage through villages in search of food as their habitats are being overtaken by people,” said Mubina Akhtar, a wildlife conservationist. “The government has to order the clearance of the elephant corridors.”

According to the 2011 elephant census, there were 5,620 wild elephants in Assam. The state is preparing to hold a fresh elephant census next month.

Elephants are increasingly coming into contact with people in India, as the human population of 1.3 billion soars.


 

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