As another blow to Conservationists across the country, Assam has suffered the loss of 18 Elephants.
This is perhaps the first time in the world when so many Elephants died in one go, suspected of lightning in Assam’s Nagaon district on Wednesday night, within the Kundali Proposed Reserve Forest under the Kathiatoli forest range.
“It is also the first time so many elephants have died due to a bolt of lightning in a single incident anywhere in the world. Elephants have been killed by lightning in Pattaya (Thailand), Sri Lanka, Bengal and Kerala but the toll has been five or below,” explains famous Vet of South Africa Markus Hofmeyer.
A total of 10 experts, including famous Vets and Pathologists from across the country, have conducted the post-mortem of the elephants under the supervision of senior officials and forest minister Parimal Suklabaidya.
Although lightning seems to be the cause, yet the experts will wait for the post-mortem report to announce the ascertained cause of deaths.
Apart from the post-mortem, the Investigative Officer is allowed to undertake detailed investigation of local site, including water and salt lick quality including the detailed fact-finding from fringe communities and first informants as mentioned in the official order.
“Though we were also thinking of causes like poisoning, talking to the vets on the ground and with other domain experts, I am sure they died by a bolt of lightning. The area is lightning-prone,” he said.
Depleted Forest cover increases vulnerability to Lightning:
According to a few Experts, the elephants took the full brunt of lightning because of sparse vegetation in the area again highlighting the state’s dwindling forest cover.
“It is a natural event which cannot be stopped but maybe we can try to minimize the fatalities by conducting an intensive and urgent afforestation drive in the area and other animal corridors. The place where they were found dead — on a hillock — has very sparse vegetation or forest cover going by the visuals,” explains an Official.
“We are looking at other surrounding areas also and may possibly carry out a drone search to see if there are more casualties”.
According to the latest India State of Forest Report 2019, the Northeast has lost 3,199 sqkm of forest area 2009 onwards and this has become one of the reasons why human-animal conflict is soaring in Assam.
One of the local observer tells: “It was a 2km one-way steep trek to the site which has very thin vegetation. There is no forest cover in the vicinity. This angle has to be looked into if we have to prevent a repeat. The affected herd had 40 elephants and rarely disturbed the local populace. It is very sad and tragic.”
Vicinity to the disputed Solar power plant gives a turn to the case:
Elephant deaths took place closer to Mikir Bamuni Grant, a place where Adivasi and Karbi tribal people had been protesting against the alleged takeover of 276 bighas of their farmland, for a 15MW solar plant.
“The death of the elephants indicates that the land where the private company is setting up the solar power project is part of an active elephant corridor, hence ecologically sensitive,” explains a tribal.
Elephant footprints could be traced in the vicinity of the controversial solar power plant site and it’s troubling enough to know the prevailing cases of man-animal conflicts in the area.
About this Human’s friend:
Asian elephant or Elephas maximus is found across India and listed as endangered by the IUCN in its Red List. India has about 27,000+ wild elephants in the entire subcontinent and about 3000 in captivity.
Many elephants are known to work for over 20 hours a day, exposed to heat, sound pollution, crowds, firecrackers, unhygienic conditions and dangerous transportation. Some are even kept malnourished and dehydrated, beaten with metal rods and forced to work even being unwell.
In 2018, when Wildlife SOS rescued a captive elephant named Raju, the rescuers could sense him crying upon its rescue.
Elephant has always been Humans’ friend and subordinate. Their loss holds key to our survival, including the social bond an owner experiences. Movies like Tom-Yum-Goong have beautifully depicted this pain. Their habitat needs constant improvement along with safe migration corridors.
They are huge beings, they need a dedicated area for their survival. Devoiding them of their right to live and prosper is a crime against Humanity.