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India Today
4 days ago
- General
- India Today
When elephants cross our path: Why coexistence is India's greatest conservation challenge
Last month, in a small village in eastern India, a herd of elephants wandered into farmland at night. By morning, the crops were gone, the fence was broken, and tempers were high. It's a scene that plays out across India far too often, a reminder that the line between the wild and the human world is not just thin, it is is home to more than 60% of the world's remaining Asian elephants. These gentle giants are woven into our mythology, our art, and our sense of national pride. Yet, they are increasingly forced to navigate a dangerous maze of highways, railway tracks, and expanding towns that have fractured their traditional migratory routes, the ancient elephant spoke with Farah Siddiqui, Director, Elephant Family Foundation India, to get more insights. When these paths are blocked, elephants are left with little choice but to enter villages in search of food and water. What follows can be tragic: crops destroyed, property damaged, and sometimes, lives lost, on both sides. This is not just a wildlife problem. It is a human problem, and the solution lies not in fences or fear, but in IS NOT JUST ROMANTIC, ITS PRACTICAL TOOFor many, the idea of 'human-elephant coexistence' sounds like a lofty ideal. In reality, it is a hard-won balance, built through years of dialogue, innovation, and trust between communities and Karnataka's forest-fringe villages, for example, the Holematthi Nature Foundation has worked with local residents to reduce dependence on firewood gathered from elephant habitats. With support from the Elephant Family Foundation India (EFFI), these communities have adopted sustainable energy alternatives that have cut per capita firewood use by up to 85%. This not only protects forests but reduces the risk of dangerous interventions prove a simple truth: when people have safe, sustainable ways to meet their needs, they have fewer reasons to see elephants as AS A BRIDGEAt EFFI, our journey began in 2017 with a different kind of conservation campaign, one that brought elephants into the heart of India's cities, not as real herds, but as life-sized sculptures painted by leading artists. The Elephant Parade India 2018 transformed streets in Mumbai, Jaipur, Kolkata, and Delhi into open-air galleries, each sculpture carrying a story about conservation and weren't just pretty installations. The funds they raised have gone directly to grassroots NGOs working to restore corridors, mitigate conflict, and empower communities who live alongside elephants every CHILDREN HOLD THE KEYadvertisementThe next step in this journey is clear: we must teach the next generation that coexistence is not optional, it is essential. This year, EFFI is launching a new awareness programme for children, using stories, art, and interactive learning to build empathy for wildlife from an early children understand that every species, from the tiger to the termite, plays a role in keeping our ecosystems healthy, they grow into adults who protect rather than exploit. Coexistence becomes part of their worldview, not just their Indian culture, elephants are more than majestic animals, they are symbols of wisdom, protection, and new beginnings, embodied in Lord Ganesha, the remover of obstacles. Just as Ganesha ushers in auspicious starts, fostering coexistence between humans and elephants can mark the beginning of a more harmonious chapter in our shared IMPERATIVEAs our cities grow and our forests shrink, we are running out of space and excuses. The choice before us is simple: we can build walls that keep the wild out, or we can create pathways that allow both humans and elephants to live, and thrive, Elephant Day is not just a date on the calendar. It is a reminder that the future of India's elephants — and the health of our environment — depends on the decisions we make we can get coexistence right for elephants, we can get it right for every endangered species in India. And that, in turn, means getting it right for ourselves.- Ends
Time of India
06-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
Bengaluru overtakes Mumbai in urban leopard population; study finds 85 big cats in surrounding forest zones
Two leopard cubs camera trapped in Turahalligudda Minor Forests BENGALURU: Bengaluru, known as the only state capital with a tiger population in its vicinity, has added yet another feather to its cap. With around 85 leopards on its outskirts, the tech capital of the country has overtaken Mumbai's documented population of 54 leopards to become the largest metropolis with the highest known number of free-ranging big cats. A year-long study of the city's surrounding landscape, conducted using camera traps by wildlife biologists, revealed the presence of 85 leopards in the vicinity. Even though the city was aware of leopards around its outskirts, not many knew their actual numbers. To document the population, Sanjay Gubbi and his team of researchers from the Holematthi Nature Foundation (HNF) set up camera traps over the past few years and studied the cats' population and behaviour. Covering a total of 282 sq km of mixed habitat spread over Turahalli, Turahalli Gudda, BM Kaval, UM Kaval, Roerich Estate, Gollahalli Gudda, Sulikere, Hesaraghatta, Marasandra, Manduru, and Bannerghatta National Park with 250 cameras, researchers documented 85 leopards. A male leopard camera trapped in Sulikere Reserved Forests 'Out of these, a total of 54 leopards were recorded inside Bannerghatta National Park (BNP), and the remaining are spread across forested patches in South, North, and East Bengaluru. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo This is more than the 54 leopards recorded around Mumbai (Sanjay Gandhi National Park). Apart from these free-ranging big cats, Bengaluru is the only metro in the country whose fringes still support an ensemble of tigers, leopards, dholes, elephants, gaur, sambar, and other large mammals. People must also be credited for their success in coexisting,' explained Sanjay Gubbi. Interestingly, of the 85 leopards, 54 were found within BNP, and the remaining 30-plus roam around the reserved, deemed, and private forested patches in South, East, and North Bengaluru. 'The density of leopards is high in South Bengaluru due to undisturbed patches of forest,' Gubbi pointed out. Leopard numbers are on the rise in Bengaluru! The research team, which documented leopards in BNP, found that their population has been steadily increasing each year. While the leopard population at BNP was around 40 in 2019, it rose to 47 in 2020, and now in 2025, it stands at 54. 'This increase is largely due to the strict protection of habitat, resulting in an improved prey base. The translocation of conflict leopards from other districts has also contributed slightly to these numbers,' said Gubbi, along with Shravan Suthar, Sandesh Appu Naik, Poornesha H C, Mayur Mirashi, and Aishwarya Karanth, who were part of the study team. Besides leopards, the camera traps recorded 34 other mammal species, including four endangered (tiger, dhole, elephant, and Indian pangolin) and four near-threatened (leopard, rusty-spotted cat, mouse deer, and painted woolly bat) species in the vicinity of Bengaluru. 'The numbers suggest that the government must protect and conserve the existing natural habitats, especially in South Bengaluru, to avoid future conflict. Declaring Hesaraghatta as a conservation reserve will also help,' Gubbi added. What Future Demands? Notify BM Kaval, UM Kaval, Roerich Estate, and Gollahalli Gudda as a Conservation Reserve—a long-term 'lung space' for Bengaluru. Add Durgadakal RF, Bettahalliwade RF (Block B), and the deemed forests of JI Bachahalli and M Maniyambal to BNP, where tigers have been sighted. Safeguard the Muneshwarabetta–Bannerghatta wildlife corridor through appropriate conservation measures. Intensify community outreach so Bengaluru's rapidly expanding suburbs can coexist safely with leopards. Halt further translocation of leopards into BNP; instead, address the root causes of human–leopard conflict at the source sites. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Eid wishes , messages , and quotes !
India Today
01-06-2025
- Health
- India Today
In tiger territory, LPG and toilet emerge as big lifesavers
"I feel much safer now. Because of an LPG connection and a toilet at home, we aren't encountering tigers or other wild animals these days in the jungle," says Pavithra S of Asthuru village in Karnataka's Chamarajanagar from Soolekobe village says an LPG connection has reduced her trips to the forest for firewood and, thereby, risks of encounters with wild animals. "Earlier, I made 10 trips a month to the forest for firewood. Now it's just one or two trips," the 30-year-old villager and Sooleke are villages inside the Malai Mahadeshwara Wildlife Sanctuary. Both Pavithra and Govindamma have benefited from the LPG connection provided by Holematthi Nature Foundation, a Karnataka-based Maharashtra's Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve, toilets under the Swachh Bharat Mission (Rural) have helped bring down incidents of man-animal conflict and casualties, say experts. Experts believe the same is unfolding in Uttar Pradesh's Pilibhit Tiger Reserve, Uttarakhand's Corbett Tiger Reserve and other wildlife forest officials, conservationists and wildlife experts tell India Today Digital how an LPG connection and a toilet at home have helped bring down deaths in attacks by wild animals, even as the overall toll of tiger attacks has increased in India, corresponding with the rising tiger population in the country. Under the Ujjwala scheme, the government provides free connection and subsidised LPG they narrate is how two centrally sponsored schemes – the LPG-providing Ujjwala Yojana and the toilet-building Swachh Bharat Mission – are scripting a success story in faraway forest there is a lack of government data, say experts, there is anecdotal evidence in government, acknowledging the impact, has ordered the construction of toilets on priority in villages within eco-sensitive zones in was after a request from wildlife biologist and conservationist Sanjay Gubbi, whose Holematthi Nature Foundation has over the years witnessed how LPG connections and toilets have helped save focus on toilets and LPG to dissuade villagers from venturing into secluded areas of forests is nothing new for foresters, and there have been state-specific projects as well. However, the Ujjwala and Swachh Bharat schemes seem to be turning out to be pan-India is indeed a silver has seen a spurt in deaths due to tiger attacks, especially since has been an alarming spike in May with 24 people dying in tiger attacks, against 16 lives lost in the same period in IN TIGERS AND TIGER-HUMAN CONFLICTS IN INDIAIndia has 3,682 tigers in the wild, which is 70% of the world's wild tiger population, according to the tiger estimation of 2022. The country has added 1,456 tigers since in itself is a turnaround poaching and habitat loss left tigers on the brink of extinction in India, which led Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to launch Project Tiger in 1973. India had just 1,800 tigers Tiger became a roaring on that, India, in 2010, set a target of doubling its tiger population by 2022, which it achieved by 2018 – with 4 years to the tiger population has increased, jungles have forest cover in India reduced by 92,989 sq km between 2011 and 2021, of which 46,707.11 sq km was lost inside Reserve Forest Areas, according to the Forest Survey of India. Between 2014 and 2024, tiger attacks in India resulted in 621 human deaths, with Maharashtra accounting for the majority of these fatalities. (Image: Getty) With the carrying capacity of forests exceeded, and human activities extending deep inside jungles, the incidents of human-tiger conflicts have seen a big rise. What has made matters worse is the condition of corridors, which connect wildlife habitats and have turned reserves into tiger high tiger density in these fragmented spaces could also be leading to fights among the animals over territory and prey base, forcing out some big cats into fringe areas that see more human to central government data, more than 600 people were killed in tiger attacks in the country between 2014 and 2024, an average of 60 deaths annually. Deaths increased after 2022, correlating with a growing tiger TOILETS ARE SAVING LIVES FROM TIGERS IN TADOBA, CORBETT AND PILIBHITShalik Jogwe, a conservationist and tour operator, from Maharashtra's Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve, says that tiger attacks on people, especially women, have gone down since 2015 after the Swachh Bharat toilet scheme was implemented."Women in forest villages used to choose secluded spots to relieve themselves, which saw early morning attacks by tigers," says attacks can be prevented if tigers stay inside jungles and people can be kept away from tiger territory. That is what mitigation efforts are directed Tadoba-based conservationist counts four main reasons behind human-wildlife conflict in forest areas — farming, cattle grazing, minor forest produce (MFP) collection and open defecation."In Tadoba, entire villages would go to relieve themselves in the open earlier. Now, all houses have toilets," says non-timber forest produce collection for sale is a seasonal affair, venturing inside the jungle for firewood and open defecation was a year-round problem, he and ecotourism expert Imran Khan says that both toilets and LPG connections are likely to have helped reduce man-wildlife conflicts in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh by reducing the movement of locals into tiger habitats."Ninety-five percent of the conflicts take place within tiger habitats, which extend all the way into the periphery of the villages. Movement of villagers into high-tiger-density habitats either in Corbett Tiger Reserve or Pilibhit Tiger Reserve is the major cause of man-animal conflict," says Khan. A resident of a village inside MM Hills Wildlife Sanctuary in Karnataka's Chamarajanagar district with her free LPG hotplate and cylinder. A resident of one such village said the LPG connection had reduced the number of trips she had to make deep inside the forest for firewood. (Credit: Holematthi Nature Foundation) advertisementDECADES-OLD KNOWLEDGE IMPLEMENTED NOWThat toilets and alternatives to firewood can help reduce human-wildlife conflict isn't a recent Bhartari, a veteran wildlife expert and former Principal Chief Conservator of Forests of Uttarakhand, says, "Toilets have been a priority for interventions since Uttarakhand's statehood."He says the allocation of four percent of the budget in the community tourism plan for Agora village in Uttarkashi district in 2005 emerged as the most beneficial investment a decade later."Toilets play a crucial role in addressing human-wildlife conflicts in specific locations. However, they are just one component of a broader strategy," says strategies, the expert says, include regularly clearing bushes along pathways, eliminating invasive species in village areas, ensuring adequate outdoor lighting, and proper disposal of food a state with high tiger numbers and tiger-attack deaths, has worked for a decade to reduce forest dependency in villages within and around protected areas. Jitendra Ramgaonkar, the Chief Conservator of Forests (wildlife) of Chandrapur, where the Tadoba Tiger Reserve is located, cites Maharashtra's Shyamaprasad Mukherji Jan Van Yojana, which offers Rs 25 lakh grants to forest villages to reduce reliance on forests for livelihood, firewood, or defecation."There has been a big reduction in incidents and deaths where people going to collect firewood or to defecate were attacked by tigers and leopards since the scheme was started in 2015. This is despite a three-time increase in tiger numbers," Ramgaonkar tells India Today HAVE BROUGHT BEHAVIOURAL CHANGES AMONG TRIBALSDoddathayamma, a 40-year-old from Jayammanadoddi village in Chamarajnagar district, says earlier she would frequently hear of fatal attacks by animals, especially by elephants. Such news, she says, has become rare since villagers got LPG connections and Sanjay Gubbi of NGO Holematthi, which works with villagers like Doddathayamma, says there is a lack of nationwide data on these issues."However, at the sites where we work, we have scientifically documented an 85% decrease in per capita firewood usage after alternative energy sources were provided," Gubbi tells India Today forester Jitendra Ramgaonkar says toilets and the safety attached to them have brought about a behavioural change in people."Tribal people who earlier used to go to forests to defecate despite having toilets at home are now using the toilets after seeing that it is safer and protects them from being attacked by tigers and leopards," he might be crucial in preventing attacks by leopards in Uttarakhand's hill districts like Pauri Garhwal and Singh Bargali, Deputy Director, The Corbett Foundation, says leopards are often drawn to human settlements in search of small livestock and occasionally attack children."Providing proper toilet facilities can play a crucial role in reducing human-leopard conflicts in Uttarakhand," he says. Govindamma (L) of Soolekobe village, who received an LPG connection, and Pavithra S of Asthuru village, who got both an LPG connection and a toilet, say their lives are safer now, after the Karnataka-based NGO helped them. (Images: Holematthi Nature Foundation) WHY VILLAGERS STILL VENTURE DEEP INTO FORESTSIf villagers like Govindamma receive LPG cylinders, why do they still need to go into forests and risk encounters with wild animals?Both Jogwe and Khan, the conservationists from Tadoba and Corbett, say that though LPG connections have helped, the villagers aren't getting the number of refills as there is the question of livelihood through the sale of non-timber forest products like honey and tendu leaves. At times, villagers also collect firewood to sell in the expert Bhartari shares an incident from a meeting in Sankar village of Almora district to explain that there is no magic bullet for the issue of human-animal village meeting was held to extend support to Kamla Devi, who had survived a tiger attack in the neighbouring Jameriya village. Both the villages are in the buffer zone of Corbett Tiger women from the Rachnatmak Mahila Manch stated, "Hum jangle jana chhod denge; hum jangle se ghas lana chhod denge; par ye jo hamari dahleej par guldar aur baagh aa rahe hain, unka hum kya karein?"The villagers said they were willing to stop venturing into the forest, but what do they do about the leopards and tigers that are reaching their doorsteps?"There is no one or simple answer to their question. A greater understanding of the conflict through research, detailed planning, and site-specific actions is necessary to effectively address such situations," says conflict is a species-specific issue in sanctuaries that are all unique in their own way, and there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Small steps like providing toilets and LPG cylinders help in a big way, but they will need to be supplemented with site-specific action."Tigers have adapted to living with human beings and now, it is high time that humans too learn to live with tigers," says Corbett-based Watch
