Guwahati, July 10: Human-elephant conflict in Assam has been growing steadily and has now reached crisis proportions.
According to a recent report by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), over 1,400 human deaths and 1,209 elephant fatalities were recorded between 2000 and 2023.
The report stated that the vast majority of elephant deaths — 626 out of 1,209 — were due to anthropogenic (human-induced) causes, with electrocution, often from illegal or unsafe electric fences, being the leading cause of unnatural elephant deaths.
The highest number of elephant fatalities was reported from Nagaon Territorial, Sonitpur West, Dhanasiri, and Karbi Anglong East. Over the years, 527 villages were affected by human-elephant conflict, with Goalpara reporting the highest number of impacted villages (80), followed by Sonitpur West (53), Sonitpur East (51), and Udalguri (39).
Elephants, deprived of food and migration corridors, increasingly enter human settlements and farmlands, leading to crop destruction and fatal encounters.
According to the report, territorial fights accounted for 81 elephant deaths, while 158 deaths were attributed to unknown natural causes between 2000 and 2023.
“Every year, human-elephant conflict has been rising in Assam and tea garden areas. Most of the time, we witness people chasing elephants with sticks. Often, this practice becomes dangerous and results in conflict,” said environmentalist Debojit Moran.
