Instances of human-elephant conflicts in India

Elephants follow a set migratory path. As human population increases and settlements encroach on their paths, instances of man-animal conflict, too, rise.

A herd of wild elephants were chased out of an estate and damaged an autorickshaw in Madikeri on July 30, 2018. Fortunately, the driver and two passengers got to escape in time. Last year in November a man on his way to work stopped to take a selfie with a wild elephant in Lataguri, West Bengal. He was trampled to death. Few months later another elephant charged at a KSRTC bus in Karnataka. In early June 2018, four villagers were killed in six days in Jhargram.

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Residents in south and southwest Bengal (Bankura, Purulia, Jhargram and Midnapore) are spending sleepless nights as every winter wild elephants create havoc in their fields. People say they have not seen such attacks in 30 years. Regions close to the Dalma Wild-life Sanctuary in Jharkhand are at conflict risk. Elephants started migrating to Bengal from 1985.

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In 15 years, over 1,500 elephants were killed due to train collision, poaching and electrocution. On the other hand, 1,259 humans deaths were registered due to elephant attacks in 1,095 days.