A tragedy and the tragic responses to it

The death of a pregnant wild elephant in Kerala’s Palakkad district after it bit into concealed explosives that exploded in its mouth is a gut-wrenching incident which again draws the focus to man-animal conflict. While the forest department and environmentalists blame any unnatural death of wildlife on man-animal conflict, the bigger question of why such encounters are increasing and how they can be stopped remains unaddressed. In the instant case, the elephant tragically turned out to be a case of collateral damage as the explosive was actually intended for wild boars ravaging fields with standing crops. Though this is no justification for the painful death of the elephant, it cannot be denied that wild boars account for almost 70% of crop loss in some parts of the country. While electric fencing is expensive, opposition from conservationists to the culling of small wild animals has left the farmer in the lurch, forcing him to protect his crop and livestock through unconventional means, often leading to the death of some endangered species.

India is home to over 27,000 elephants and their population has remained stable over the years. The southern states of Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh account for about 45% of elephants. As elephants are heavily concentrated in some areas of these states, it is becoming difficult for the ecosystem of certain districts to withstand this huge population, leading to man-animal conflict. The living space for large animals is shrinking because of human activities and encroachment. While constriction of forest land is a cause for worry, the question that needs to be asked is, why do elephants leave their habitats and stray from their traditional paths in search of food and water. The forest department should be blamed for failing to plant fodder-bearing fruits like jackfruit or to desilt water bodies within jungles. Unless each state adopts an integrated approach instead of taking shelter under the excuse of man-animal conflict, tragic incidents like the one in Kerala will only continue to occur.

The elephant’s death rightly caused widespread outrage, but it was also sought to be communalised. Initial reports had said that the incident happened in the Muslim majority Malappuram district. BJP leader Maneka Gandhi immediately jumped up to call it a “murder” that happened in “India’s most violent district” which was “famous for such incidents’’. Union environment and forest minister Prakash Javadekar grabbed the opportunity to order an ‘investigation’ and proclaimed that it was “not Indian culture’’ to feed animals firecrackers to kill. It actually happened in another district. The attempt to communalise and politicise such an incident is gross and condemnable.