Orissa identifies 14 elephant corridors to avoid man-animal conflict

By Ratikant Mohanty
Bhubaneswar, Jan. 19: Succumbing to pressures by public and animal lovers, the Orissa government on Tuesday announced 14 places as elephant corridors.
The announcement followed a high-level review meeting by chief minister Naveen Patnaik.
The corridors, as chief minister Naveen Patnaik said, would provide better habitats for the pachyderms with adequate water bodies, food facility and security.
The 14 places which were identified as elephant corridors are Badampahar, Badampahar-Karida, Deuli-Suliapada, Similipal, Hadgada-Kulad, Telkoi-Pallahara, Karei-Karampada, Maulaganj-Jindimal-Anantpur, Kanheijena-Anantpur, Buguda-Nayagarh, Nuagaon-Baruni, Tala-Kholagarh, Barpahar-Tarabha-Kantamal, Kotagarh-Chandrapur and Karlapat-Bharladani.
The 14 corridors are spread over 870 square kilometers.
The review found that the elephant population in the state – as per 2007 census – was 1862, - 35 more than the 1999 census figure. The state has 27 per cent of the country’s elephant population.
On an average, 48 people are dying in elephant attack every year. The pachyderms are also destroying crops in around 5400 hectares of land.
The state government has formed 51 squads to prevent and death of elephants by accidents and arrest poachers. Besides, 98 trackers have been formed to monitor the movement of the animal.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, chief minister Mr Patnaik said creation of new elephant corridors would prevent man-animal conflict as elephants would not venture out for food leaving their protected places.
Because of mining increasing activities, blasting in hills and depletion of forest cover, pachyderms are regularly entering cultivable lands and eating away standing crops, besides killing human beings.
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