13th Feb., 2019

A heart-wrenching incident emerged from the Nagarhole National Park in Karnataka last December. A 42-year-old elephant died after getting stuck in a two-metre-high iron fence, set up by forest officials to prevent wildlife from entering human settlements. The elephant had reportedly crossed over the fence and raided nearby farms. When chased away, it tried to return but got stuck. While its death sparked criticism about the forest department’s strategy, the fact is human-elephant conflict has emerged as one of the most nagging conservation challenges in the country.

To drive away crop-raiding elephants, farmers resort to all sorts of ways, from beating drums and bursting crackers to erecting electric fences and using spikes and fireballs. Union government’s Project Elephant estimates that every year the conflict results in the death of over 100 elephants. Yet, they keep coming back to villages to raid farms or destroy barns. Why do elephants take the huge risk?

This could be because crops like paddy, corn, banana and jackfruit are superfoods for elephants. Eating these enhances their state of mind and well-being, says a study by post-doctoral researcher Sanjeeta Sharma Pokharel, her advisor Raman Sukumar, professor at Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, and scientists at IISc’s Department of Molecular Reproduction and Developmental Genetics.

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