Rising elephant-human conflict in Odisha amid habitat loss

Human-elephant conflict in Odisha is worsening, forcing villagers in forest fringe areas to spend nights on makeshift treetop platforms to evade rampaging herds.

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With elephant corridors shrinking under the impact of mining, industrialisation, infrastructure projects and other human activities, incursions into settlements have become a daily occurrence.

Of Odisha’s 30 districts, 26 have elephant presence, with frequent depredation putting lives and property at risk in villages bordering elephant habitats. As dusk falls in these conflict zones, villagers retreat to temporary scaffold structures, climbing up ladders to spend the night in safety.

The elephant menace is growing more alarming by the day, making life in kutcha houses fraught with danger. Though such incidents may appear sporadic, they highlight the severity of depredation unleashed by marauding elephants, exposing the helplessness of humans against the might of these animals.