India
oi-Gaurav Sharma
Rising
incidents
of
wild
elephants
entering
neighbourhoods
in
Uttarakhand’s
Haridwar
district
are
heightening
worries
about
human-elephant
conflict.
Forest
officials
report
more
herds
leaving
protected
zones
and
moving
towards
highways,
villages,
and
farms,
disrupting
traffic
and
daily
life
and
leaving
residents
anxious
about
safety.
The
pressure
is
greatest
around
Rajaji
National
Park,
where
elephant
corridors
lie
close
to
fast-growing
settlements.
Locals
say
farms,
roads,
and
houses
now
sit
near
traditional
elephant
routes,
so
encounters
that
were
once
rare
are
turning
into
almost
routine
events
during
certain
seasons.
In
Uttarakhand’s
Haridwar
district,
human-elephant
conflicts
are
raising
concerns
as
herds
leave
protected
zones
for
highways,
villages,
and
farms
near
Rajaji
National
Park.
Recent
incidents
include
elephants
blocking
traffic
on
the
Haridwar-Laksar
highway
and
a
fatal
attack
near
Rishikesh
in
which
a
12-year-old
boy
was
killed.
Video
Human-elephant
conflict
on
highways
near
Rajaji
National
Park
In
the
latest
incident,
a
herd
of
six
elephants
appeared
without
warning
from
the
forest
edge
near
Rajaji
National
Park
and
stepped
onto
the
Haridwar-Laksar
highway.
Vehicles
stopped
in
both
directions,
and
traffic
remained
blocked
for
several
minutes
while
people
watched
from
a
distance.
A
video
from
the
scene
shows
the
elephants
walking
in
a
line
along
the
highway,
moving
past
shuttered
shops
and
then
towards
nearby
homes
and
fields.
Many
motorists
switched
off
engines
and
some
flashed
headlights,
trying
to
guide
the
animals
away.
Most
elephants
entered
the
fields,
while
one
stayed
on
the
road
briefly.
Human-elephant
conflict
and
recent
fatal
attack
near
Rishikesh
Human-elephant
conflict
has
troubled
Uttarakhand
for
many
years,
especially
in
forest
fringes
where
elephants
search
for
food.
Herds
frequently
raid
farms,
eating
stored
grain
and
destroying
crops
underfoot.
Forest
Department
teams
use
patrols
and
warning
systems,
yet
stopping
animals
from
leaving
dense
forest
cover
remains
difficult.
The
risks
became
clear
in
November
when
a
wild
elephant
killed
a
12-year-old
boy
near
Rishikesh.
According
to
forest
officials,
the
child
was
riding
a
scooter
with
parents
on
an
unpaved
road
through
the
Kalu
Wala
forest,
returning
to
Jolly
Grant.
Officials
said
the
elephant
suddenly
charged
the
scooter
and
used
its
trunk
to
lift
the
child,
seated
between
the
parents,
then
hurled
the
child
to
the
ground
several
times.
The
animal
then
went
back
into
the
forest,
while
the
parents
took
the
boy
to
a
hospital
in
Jolly
Grant,
where
doctors
declared
the
child
dead.
