Assam: Human-animal conflict claims lives of 4 elephants in 20 days in Udalguri

Four wild elephants killed by residents in 20 days, 14 in a year: Why Udalguri near Bhutan is witnessing an alarming rise in jumbo deaths.

A string of elephant deaths in Assam’s Udalguri district, a vital transboundary corridor along the Bhutan border, has sparked growing alarm among forest authorities and wildlife experts.

For representational purposes only. (AP File)

In just the last 20 days, four wild elephants have died in the area — three from electrocution and one believed to have been poisoned. The toll over the past year has climbed to at least 14, with electrocution accounting for 10 of those deaths.

Officials warn that the situation is deteriorating rapidly in a landscape already pressured by widespread encroachment, shrinking habitats and an intensifying human–elephant conflict, calling the pattern of fatalities a sign of a deepening crisis.

According to Udalguri Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Mustafa Ali Ahmed, most of the recent deaths occurred in fringe areas near forests where residents cultivate paddy. “They use electric wires, mostly at night, to prevent elephants from entering their paddy fields, and this causes such accidents,” he said.

Locals often lay these wires after dusk and remove them at daybreak to escape detection. “Most of the elephants died after coming in contact with high-voltage wires laid illegally by villagers and tea-estate workers to protect crops. We try to check them but they remove the wires early in the morning,” Ahmed added.

The four deaths were reported on October 25, October 30, November 2 and November 13. The first three, in Majuli Tea Estate, Bhutiachang Tea Garden and Basugaon village, were confirmed cases of electrocution. The latest incident involved a six-year-old elephant in Amjuli Hathikhuli near the Indo–Bhutan border, which may have consumed a toxic substance.

In the November 2 incident, a tusker was found entangled in live wires allegedly set up by residents living on encroached forest land. A 40-year-old tusker was similarly electrocuted in Bhutiachang Tea Garden on October 30.

Forest officials have arrested two persons, Sunil Ekka of Nonaipara and Ratan Chouhan of Basugaon, in connection with the November 2 killing, and action has been initiated against at least five others linked to the October 30 electrocution.

Despite these arrests, ground staff say the situation is slipping out of control. A range officer in the Khalingduar Reserve Forest said the department faces an acute shortage of trained personnel, vehicles and weapons. “Our capacity to respond quickly to elephant movements or prevent villagers from installing illegal electric fencing is severely affected. We are stretched beyond limits,” he said.

DFO Ahmed said the challenge is compounded by widespread encroachments in and around reserve forests. While many fatalities occur in residential areas, several have been reported from deep inside forest land. “Due to increasing encroachments, the areas for wild elephant movement are shrinking,” he said. “We have requested additional staff, vehicles and firearms. But what is also needed is a major eviction drive to free occupied forest areas.”

Assam’s principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife) Vinay Gupta said eviction drives have reduced conflict in other districts such as Goalpara. “Once we recorded nearly 20 deaths in a year in Goalpara, and now it has come down to five or six. We need to keep wildlife habitats for animals, and when humans illegally encroach these areas, conflict rises,” he said.

While forest officials often attribute rising conflict to the paddy harvesting season, senior wildlife conservationist Jayanta Kumar Das, who has studied human–elephant interactions in Assam and Bhutan for nearly two decades, said the roots of the crisis lie deeper.

He pointed to a large natural corridor linking Udalguri and the Bhutan foothills, a route elephants have followed for generations. “They are among the smartest creatures, with a social structure more complex than we realise. They follow the same routes their ancestors used 50-100 years ago. The areas were different then. Now humans have occupied those spaces. This creates confusion for the elephants and leads to conflict,” he said.

Das explained that elephants typically descend from the Bhutan hills in July–August and remain in the plains for several months. Large herds of 100 to 150 often split into smaller groups of around a dozen as they navigate fragmented landscapes. “Their navigational memory is strong. They are guided by the same paths mapped by earlier generations. When these paths are blocked by settlements, tea gardens or farms, they become disoriented,” he said.

Herds are usually led by a senior female, known locally as the Dhuri, who maintains order and avoids confrontation with humans. “She sometimes punishes younger members for breaking norms. When a young elephant is expelled, it never gets to return. Out of frustration, such loners may become aggressive and attack humans. Much of what we call conflict is actually behavioural stress caused by habitat loss,” Das explained.

He said he has studied elephant behaviour since 2006 and worked with the Indo–Bhutan research initiative on cross-border elephant movement. While conflict began years ago, he added, the proliferation of illegal electric fencing in recent seasons has led to a sharp spike in fatalities. “This is one of the worst behaviours of humans towards nature. We have blocked their natural routes and now we are killing them with brutality. This must be addressed strongly, and regular vigilance is a must,” he said.

Das, who worked with the Assam Elephant Foundation (AEF), a trust set up in 2007 for the conservation of wild and captive elephants, said government efforts have fallen short. “We need detailed planning and proper execution. Understanding elephant behaviour, making people aware, preventing encroachments and enforcing strict laws — these are the basics. The elephant population in this area is high, and if we do not prevent conflict, we will see more deaths,” he warned.

PCCF (Wildlife) Vinay Gupta said the forest department is now preparing to deploy Gaja Mitra teams in critical zones. Each team will comprise 10 members, including local experts, forest officers and armed guards, equipped to track elephant movement, alert villages and prevent the use of illegal electric wires.

Udalguri deputy commissioner Pulak Patgiri said the series of deaths has prompted an official inquiry. “We have deployed teams to address the matter and strict actions will be taken wherever required,” he said.