Asian elephant (Elephas maximus)

Mohamed bin Zayed Species project number 180518015

Living with Elephants: A community based training programme to mitigate Human-Elephant Interaction in Mayurjharna Elephant Reserve, West Bengal, India.

FOCUS SPECIES: Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus) Conservation Status: 1), Endangered (EN A2c), IUCN Red List 2) Appendix I in CITES 3) Schedule I in Wildlife Protection Act, India 4) ‘National Heritage Animal’ of India A recent estimate for global population size of the Asian elephant was 41,410 to 52,345 animals. The estimated population size in India is 26,390–30,770 and population size in project area is 180+ in 2017. Focus area: ‘Mayurjharna Elephant Reserve’ and Human-Elephant Interaction zone Lat/Long of Mayurjharna Elephant Reserve: 23o27’N to 22o23N’ & 86o27’E to 87o32’E Mayurjharna Elephant Reserve, the habitat of Eastern India elephant population, was notified in 2002 but still has not been implemented which makes HEI management more difficult. This elephant range includes inter-state migration corridor joining Singbhum Elephant Reserve, Jharkhand and Mayurjharna Elephant Reserve, West Bengal. In last 10 years the number of elephants increased by 90% and expanding their home range, beyond ‘Mayurjharna Elephant Reserve’ (414.06sq.km.) and declared ‘Zone of influence’ (1436sq.km), in 10 forest divisions. In last 5 years elephants killed 157+ people, injured 217+, and damaged 7023+ huts, and 18,884+ hectares of crops and on the other side the 42 elephants died (including natural and accidental).

 

ACTIVITIES: 

1) Networking and Collaboration with villagers, locally based Government agencies, and NGOs, Institutions, media and different stakeholders groups will be involved through different outreach programme. An institutional collaboration will be done to encourage students to take elephant conservation project as their dissertation or internships.

 

2) Stakeholders’ participation through attitudinal survey, village volunteer’s orientation & capacity building to achieve ‘ZERO’ Retaliatory killing of Elephants by 2020.

 

3) Survey of elephant range to measure ‘Conflict’ intensity and develop updated database and Mapping of Elephant Migration Routes and develop a ‘Seasonal Elephant Population Distribution Map’ of the entire home range and review the existing ‘Conflict’ intensity map to develop an elephant migration calendar and a 'conflict intensity map’.

 

4) Supporting Anti-depredation Squad (ADS) formed by the villagers in high intensity HEC and arrange training for them to effective elephant driving and patrolling to safe guard the elephant herds, reduce Human-Elephant Interaction and ensure the safe passage of the migratory elephant herds.

 

5) Awareness generation and Capacity building: Communicate and reach 100 schools, 50 colleges, 10 NGOs and 50 villages as part of intensive community awareness workshop to minimize the impact of elephant depredation and human-elephant hostility. We intend to do capacity building and orientation programme for local clubs, NGOs, forest departments staffs and Hoola Dal  (ADS) on HEI management.