Chikkamagaluru: The Forest Department of the state has initiated another effort to prevent human-elephant conflict by planning to construct an ‘Elephant Sanctuary’ in the Bhadravathi Wildlife Sanctuary. This elephant sanctuary will be built over an area of 2,000 hectares in the Bhadravathi Wildlife Sanctuary. It will ensure that elephants have access to essential food and water in the area. There has been an issue with elephants emerging from the forests around Kodagu, Hassan, and Chikkamagaluru, where some elephants are moving in groups. The Forest Department has identified more than 150 rogue elephants that have been causing trouble outside the forests.

The department has devised a plan to tranquilize these elephants and relocate them to the sanctuary, which will require some time to implement, as stated by Minister for Forests and Environment, Eshwar Khandre. The state has the highest number of elephants in the country, with a total of 6,395. The government has convened meetings with ministers from neighboring states to find solutions to the problem of rogue elephants. An international conference has also been conducted, and a committee of experts is being formed to conduct studies. Moreover, the government is also working on timely dissemination of information regarding the movements of elephants to the public.

As the population has increased, residential areas have expanded up to the edges of the forests. Agricultural activities have also begun at the forest’s edge. The government is in the process of filling in ponds on the forest margins. As a result, experts indicate that elephants are coming into villages to feed on crops such as bananas, jackfruit, and rice, and to access water. However, a study has been commissioned to investigate the reasons behind the elephants straying into human habitats. The government is making sincere efforts to find a permanent solution to the human-elephant conflict issue.

To prevent elephants from invading farmland and damaging crops, the state’s Forest Department is taking several measures. Tentacle fencing, solar fences, and elephant trenches have been constructed to manage human-wildlife conflict. Railway barricades are also being installed.

A plan has been set in place to construct a total of 203 km of railway barricades in the financial year 2024-25, with 78,917 km of work already completed. Work is currently underway on 41.87 km, and a target of an additional 103 km has been set, with work expected to commence before March 31.