Training on reducing human elephant conflict held

About 32 teacher trainees and teachers of Kodagu district underwent training on educators skills programme to learn about the vexed topic Human elephant conflict and a partial ‘solution’ Human elephant Co-existence (HECx).  They also learned innovative teaching and learning techniques designed to change human attitudes and behaviour for the better so as to learn to live with elephants.
 
According to the release, many biologists and governments are working on human elephant conflict and have failed to find a ‘solution’.  Research shows that people involved mechanistic solution to human elephant conflict as mitigation measure, appeared to be surprised when some action that worked like a charm when first attempted, failed miserably in a few days or week. Continued conflict result in the attitude change of humans that result in killing of elephants.  Occasionally the conflict brings in more death or injury to human, mostly accidental or by human error.  

Zoo Outreach Organisation developed an education module to introduce this concept that can be learned by people who live in HEC areas through play way learning method.  S Mamatha, the Principal Investigator of the project supported by International Elephant foundation organised this training programme at DIET, Kushal Nagar.  “Our approach is that individuals and families take responsibility for themselves, learn ways to avoid confrontation and promote self-protection, become willing to exchange some old habits and beliefs for survival and thus reduce the incidence of injury and death due to human elephant conflict” says S Mamatha, the coordinator of this project.