In the wake of recent road accident in keonjhar which took life of three elephants, also concern over growing number of jumbo fatalities owing to loss of habitat and man-animal conflicts, the state government is going to introduce Gaja bandhu scheme for protection and safety of the elephants.
Briefing media ,Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF), Wildlife and Chief Wildlife Warden Ajay Mohapatra said under this scheme,forest department will appoint local people as Gaja Bnadhu,a friend of elephant to keep tracking of elephants in their locality.For such duty,the Gaja Bnadhu’s will get incentives.The existing department staffs involved for such operation are currently inadequate.
Besides this scheme, the government also decided to install CCTV cameras, speed breakers, rumblers at certain elephant movement zones in designated corridors. So far 65 such sensitive spots have been traced. There is also a proposal to install radio collars on them to track their movements. NHAI authorities are also instructed to construct underpass and overpass for elephants in 19 locations in the region.
Statistics revealed by a non-governmental organization Wildlife Society of Odisha, as recorded about 1,497 elephants lost their life in the State since 1990, of which 718 deaths were in the last nine years and five months alone. Of the 718, 103 elephants were killed by poachers, 67 by live electric wires and 26 by speeding trains.
