Heat alert as four elephants die in last two days in Karnataka

Bengaluru: Four elephants have died in Karnataka in the last two days with dehydration and lack of fodder seen as a major factors in at least one death, prompting senior officials giving instructions for field officials to take up measures to mitigate the crisis.

Sunday's death of a male elephant aged about 14 years in Kodihalli range of Bannerghatta Wildlife division came on the back of another death in Bettahalli beat area in Kanakapura.

“The elephant in Bettahalli was weak and fallen into a small pit. It was rescued and given fodder and water. It is unfortunate that the animal couldn’t survive,” an official in Ramanagara said.

During the post mortem of the 10-year-old elephant that died in Bettahalli, officials found a large amount of mango seeds in its intestine. “We believe acidosis (acute acidity) caused by consumption of mangos as a major factor. However, only the post mortem report will clear the doubts,” the official added.

Officials said the two other deaths -- one each in Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary and Ramanagara divisions -- came at a time they were taking steps to mitigate the crisis.

Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Subhash Malkhede (Wildlife) said this year's drought has caused unprecedented stress on wildlife. “This is particularly true for elephants that do not congregate near backwaters. We have taken steps to fill water holes by installing solar pumps. But water alone won't solve the problem,” he said.

Elephants consume about 10 per cent of their body weight each day, half of which comes from grass. The animals depend on leaves, fruits, bamboo and other materials for protein. Karnataka has 6,395 elephants and officials said it is impossible to take care of the large animals in such numbers.

“We can provide water but supplying large amounts of grass everyday to a free-ranging animal is not possible. Protecting the habitat is the only solution,” a senior official looking into mitigation measures in Bandipur and Nagarahole said.

Former PCCF (Head of Forest Force) B K Singh said the death of elephants due to lack of fodder and water calls for long-term preparations.

“We had seen an elephant dying due to lack of fodder in the Hanur range 12 years ago. These developments are essentially telling us to prepare for the future. While we may call the deaths natural, ultimately humans are to be blamed for the unnatural drought,” he said.

Singh said the damage caused to river catchment areas by unregulated change of land use and destruction of forests were the main reasons for the crisis today.

“For instance, between 1988 and 1991, I had seen the Palar river in Kollegal go dry for just two months between February and April. Now it is drying up in October. We are suffering now because of the damage inflicted on our rivers over the last three decades,” he said.

Activist Joseph Hoover said the forest department needs to take mitigation measures and work with people to avoid further deaths.

“The department has to work transparently to examine each death and come up with long-term measures to avoid a bigger crisis,” he said.

To a question, additional PCCF and Director, Project Elephant Manoj Rajan said it was crucial to examine various ecological aspects.

“Drought-induced habitat degradation may exacerbate human-elephant conflicts as elephants enter into human settlements in search of sustenance. We need to conduct an in-depth analyses, integrating empirical data and ecological principles, to elucidate the intricate dynamics between elephant mortality, resource scarcity, and drought-induced migration patterns,” he added.