Coal Mines vs Mammoths Odisha's Elephants Under Siege

RAKASH Behera knows the toil it takes to be an elephant tracker. He has spent weeks in the dust and grime of the summer, through the slush of farm fields, dark slurry of old coal mines in the monsoon months as well as in the cold winter nights in the forests of Angul district of Odisha.

- SIBA MOHANTY

In the last seven to eight years, he and his squad mates in Talcher forest range's Sadar section have trailed some large elephant groups.

The 26-year-old also understands the challenge of an elephant in this region. The vast expanse of paddy and vegetable fields, palm plantations and mango orchards are alluring but this landscape is now more daunting than ever for the large-bodied long rangers. Highways and roads crisscrossing their habitats, mega irrigation structures, towering power lines and innocuous-looking farm fences charged with deadly electricity, the unceasing noise and humdrum of the coal mines and long queues of ore-laden vehicles have not made their life any easier.

Last month, Prakash and his squad tracked two tuskers for close to two weeks. The elephants came into Angul forest division from adjoining Hindol range and had to be followed through Ganthigadia, Nalco plant, Balanda, Raijharana, Angul, Kuiya, Boinda till they crossed over to Athamalik division.

It must have been about 100 km. The team had to be watchful, as they would alert villages to avoid encounters; coordinate with electricity officials to shut down power and keep villagers calm after episodes of depredation. "Forest department's task is to ensure that harm does not come in the way of either humans or elephants," Prakash says.

But the problems are mounting. From the larger Chhotanagpur Plateau that holds India's largest reserve of iron ore to the coal belt of Angul Talcher, the mineral has merely changed as country's surging demand for fossil fuel threatens to put pressure on a large elephant population in Odisha's coal-belt. Angul is home to one of the most significant elephant populations and sits on Odisha's richest coal reserves.