Pachyderm landscape decimation behind human-elephant conflict

Relentless human activities like mining, agriculture, industrial development and urbanisation in Odisha’s elephant landscape have severely disrupted traditional habitat corridors, leading to increased conflicts between humans and the gentle giants, experts said Monday on the eve of World Elephant Day.

- ARINDAM GANGULY, OP

According to the latest census, Odisha is home to 2,098 elephants. In 1979, there were 2,044 elephants, mostly confined to rich forested districts.

However, the state has now turned into a gruesome graveyard for the pachyderms. Between 2017 and November 2024, a staggering 684 elephants have died in the state due to reasons like deliberate electrocutions, train collisions and poaching. The 2024-25 period alone (until March 18, 2025) saw a record 94 elephant deaths—the highest in any year to date.

According to a study by the Asian Nature Conservation Foundation, Odisha’s forest landscapes can sustainably support only 1,700 to 1,800 elephants. With the population now exceeding that limit, elephants are being pushed into farmlands, villages, and towns, sparking daily conflict.

Sangita Iyer, founder of Voices for Asian Elephants, said forests are vanishing at unprecedented rates. “In 2024 alone, India lost 29,000 hectares to roads, mining, dams, and defence projects,” Iyer said, adding that the result is a 36 per cent rise in elephant attacks and displacement, both human and animal, in thousands.