Hyderabad: Telangana forests minister Konda Surekha has called for protection of habitat frequented by elephants and the forest areas that are home to them as a possible measure to reduce the potential for their conflicts with humans.
In her address at the International Conference on Human Elephant Conflict Management in Bengaluru on Monday, World Elephant Day, Surekha said pressure on habitat was forcing the animals into areas outside of their natural forest homes in search of food and water. Steps should be taken to ensure both are available within forests for the elephants, she said.
The fact that IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) has listed the Asian elephants in the endangered list showed human failure in protecting the species, which also face threats from poachers killing them for their tusks, she added.
Though elephants are not native to Telangana, a recent visit to KB Asifabad district by an elephant that strayed away from its herd in Maharashtra, added Telangana to the list of states that have experienced elephant-human conflicts. During its foray into Telangana and its return to its herd, the animal had killed two persons.
This resulted in the state forest department forming an action plan to tackle any future elephant-human interactions in a safe manner for both sides.
The conference was attended by elephant management experts from different countries, forest ministers from various states, along Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramiah, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, and forests minister Easwar B. Khandre.
