Rising human-wildlife conflicts in Kodagu

Madikeri : The spectre of human-wildlife conflict looms large over Chinnenahalli village in Kushalanagar taluk, where residents grapple with the recurring threat of wild elephant attacks. Situated on the fringes of the forest, the village has witnessed a staggering toll of lives lost to such encounters, with 20 fatalities recorded in the past decade alone.

The latest victim of this relentless conflict is an elderly woman named Venkatamma, who fell prey to an elephant attack on Thursday. Sustaining severe injuries, Venkatamma was rushed to the Mysore hospital for urgent medical attention. Shockingly, this wasn’t her first brush with danger, having survived a similar attack previously. Tragically, Venkatamma’s father-in-law had met a fatal fate at the hands of an elephant three decades ago, underscoring the generational struggle faced by the villagers.

The prevalence of such attacks has instilled fear and insecurity among the villagers, who feel abandoned by the authorities entrusted with their safety. Despite the construction of a solar electric fence along the forest periphery, its effectiveness remains questionable, as elephants frequently breach the barriers, exploiting shallow ditches left unplumbed. Expressing frustration over the lack of tangible solutions, locals like Manjula lament the ease with which elephants infiltrate the village, exacerbating the perilous conditions faced by the community.

Their grievances are compounded by the perceived apathy of the forest department, whose sporadic interventions offer little respite from the looming threat.

In a bold move, residents have taken matters into their own hands, lodging a formal complaint against the forest department with the police. Beyond the menace posed by elephants, the pervasive threat of leopard attacks further compounds the villagers’ woes, severely curtailing their freedom of movement and everyday activities, including sending children to school.

The simmering discontent underscores the urgent need for proactive measures to mitigate human-wildlife conflict and safeguard the lives and livelihoods of those inhabiting the region. With the toll of human casualties mounting and the specter of danger looming large, the plight of Chinnenahalli village serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for decisive action to address the root causes of this escalating crisis.