<p>He was speaking at an interaction programme here on Saturday, organised by Nisarga on the problem of human-animal encounters. The interaction programme had renowned wildlife film makers Krupakar and Senani, along with Mahesh Rangarajan and elephant expert Madhusudan.<br /><br />There is a need in the country to form a permanent task force to tackle elephant encounters said Mahesh, who heads the all Idia elephant task force.<br /><br />Conflict<br /><br />There were around 10 places in India where human-elephant conflicts were very common. A permanent task force which would contain, a veterinary doctor, an ecologist,a farmer and a forest department official was needed in all these 10 places, he said. He also felt that this team had to train the local police to handle such encounters.<br /><br />Clearing the doubts on elephant corridors, elephant expert Madhusudan said a corridor was not a legally recognised place but an area which would connect two pockets of forest land where animals would normally move in search for food.<br /><br />The two pockets of forest would have been separated by human activities and gradual degradation of forests due to constant grazing and deforestation. The problem of diminishing forest land and increasing human activity in the forest area had gone to such a high extent that the problem of handling human-animal encounters had to be handled very carefully, he said.<br /><br />The increasing need for farm land and the decreasing forest home of elephant, both had to be addressed simultaneously, he added.<br /><br />The locals had to understand the government policies and become aware of the <br />problmes. The solution to the problem needed constant effort and the results would be seen not immediately but in the long run, said the expert.<br /><br />The panelist also answered many queries about the animal behaviour and conservation methods by the participant audience.</p>
<p>He was speaking at an interaction programme here on Saturday, organised by Nisarga on the problem of human-animal encounters. The interaction programme had renowned wildlife film makers Krupakar and Senani, along with Mahesh Rangarajan and elephant expert Madhusudan.<br /><br />There is a need in the country to form a permanent task force to tackle elephant encounters said Mahesh, who heads the all Idia elephant task force.<br /><br />Conflict<br /><br />There were around 10 places in India where human-elephant conflicts were very common. A permanent task force which would contain, a veterinary doctor, an ecologist,a farmer and a forest department official was needed in all these 10 places, he said. He also felt that this team had to train the local police to handle such encounters.<br /><br />Clearing the doubts on elephant corridors, elephant expert Madhusudan said a corridor was not a legally recognised place but an area which would connect two pockets of forest land where animals would normally move in search for food.<br /><br />The two pockets of forest would have been separated by human activities and gradual degradation of forests due to constant grazing and deforestation. The problem of diminishing forest land and increasing human activity in the forest area had gone to such a high extent that the problem of handling human-animal encounters had to be handled very carefully, he said.<br /><br />The increasing need for farm land and the decreasing forest home of elephant, both had to be addressed simultaneously, he added.<br /><br />The locals had to understand the government policies and become aware of the <br />problmes. The solution to the problem needed constant effort and the results would be seen not immediately but in the long run, said the expert.<br /><br />The panelist also answered many queries about the animal behaviour and conservation methods by the participant audience.</p>
