Permission sought to radio-collar four elephants

They have been damaging crops in Sakleshpur forest range and farmers are in distress

Following repeated incidents of man-elephant conflict in parts of Hassan district, the district-level officers of the Forest Department have written to the department seeking permission to radio-collar four more elephants and capture two problematic elephants. So far, four elephants have been radio-collared; however, equipment installed on three animals have stopped responding.

More than 60 elephants spread over four-five groups have been roaming around areas of Sakleshpur, Yeslur and Alur forest ranges of Hassan district. Every day, farmers complain to the Forest Department of crop damage due to the movement of the herds. A priest died on September 1 at Kollahalli near Sakleshpur, while he was near his house. Such incidents have forced the growers to put pressure on the State government demanding a permanent solution to the problem. They have urged the government to capture all elephants roaming in the area.

The rapid response teams formed by the Forest Department keep track of herds’ movement and alert local people so that man-elephant conflicts could be avoided. However, this exercise does not help in bringing down the instances of crop damage. The farmers cannot visit their farms for several days as the herds roam there. B.R. Manjunath, a planter at Ballupete, said the farmers had been losing patience over the repeated incidents of crop damage. “We don’t know how to protect our crops. If a coffee plant is lost due to elephants, the government pays ₹200 as compensation. But, we have spent years to grow it. How long the growers should tolerate this?”, he asked. Like him, many have conveyed their problems to the Forest Department.

Sivaram Babu, Deputy Conservator of Forests, told The Hindu that he was aware of the problems faced by the growers. “We are doing what best can be done. Right now four elephants are radio-collared. We have to replace the batteries of three instruments. Besides that, I have written to the department to conduct an operation to radio-collar four more. Once it is done, we will be tracking the movement of eight elephants so that location of herds could be tracked easily”, he said.

Similarly, the department has also identified two elephants for capture and relocation. “Considering their behaviour, we have identified two tuskers for capture. The operation will be done once rains stop”, he added.

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