Human-Elephant Conflicts Kill 373 Elephants And 1,713 Humans In Three Years

Elephant-human conflict poses a grave threat to their continued existence. Studies on conflict between elephants and humans in Asia and in Africa have identified crop raiding as the main form of conflict. Elephants cause damage amounting from a few thousand dollars to millions of dollars. Every year, 100 humans (in some years it may be 300 people) and 40-50 elephants are killed during crop raiding in India.

In India, between 2015-2018, human-elephant conflict caused 1,713 human and 373 elephant deaths by unnatural causes, including electrocution and poaching.

Minister of State (MoS) in the Ministry Of Environment, Forest And Climate Change, told the Lok Sabha that a total of 373 elephants have died unnaturally in last three years all over India. Of them, 62 died due to train accidents, 226 died due to electrocution, 59 died due to poaching and 26 died due to poisoning.

Despite the 62 cases of elephant deaths on railway tracks, only 13 cases have been registered against loco pilots so far, Assam (2) Odisha (5) and Kerala (6). There is no information regarding punishment to loco pilots by the Railways.