Struggles and Hopes in Human-Elephant Coexistence in the Eastern Himalayas

“My husband was killed, and you are enjoying a ride!” cried a grief-stricken woman, her voice full of resentment. It was a hazy afternoon as we drove along the embankment of the Mechi River in Bahundangi, eastern Nepal. With us was Shankar Luitel, a dedicated conservationist and citizen scientist renowned for his work on elephants, who advised her to contact the local authorities as we passed. Later, we asked him about the incident. With a heavy heart, he explained that two years before, the woman’s husband had been killed by an elephant. Just 10 kilometres away, across the border in Naxalbari, West Bengal, India, a 15-year-old boy weeps inconsolably, recounting the day his father succumbed to fatal injuries from an elephant attack. The boy was then forced to leave school to shoulder the burden of supporting his family. In Bhutan’s Samtse district, the tragedy repeats as elephants frequently visit landfill sites by the highways, placing schoolchildren in constant danger. These cases might have gone unheard and unknown to many but they echo countless stories of loss and suffering in the lowlands of the Kangchenjunga Landscape, where human-elephant conflict has torn apart families, leaving behind widows and orphans.

The Kangchenjunga Landscape (KL) in the Eastern Himalayas, shared by Bhutan, India, and Nepal, is a biodiversity hotspot that faces increasing threats from human-wildlife conflict (HWC). Among these conflicts, human-elephant conflict (HEC) stands out as a significant concern, particularly as endangered Asiatic elephants migrate through this region. Elephas maximus indica is the largest living land mammal in the Asian mainland; females can reach up to 240 cm in height and weigh up to 3,500 kg, while males have a maximum height of 300 cm and can weigh up to 6000 kg. Despite their large size, elephants are known as gentle giants – nomadic herbivores who range across large distances in search of food and water, keeping out of the midday sun under the shade of vegetation, bathing in water or covering themselves with mud or soil. Elephants are considered intelligent, emotional creatures, and have been known to exhibit behaviours linked to grief, learning, compassion and memory. They live in matriarchal societies made up of females and offspring; males usually live in smaller groups or alone.

However, habitat loss, fragmentation, and human encroachment into wildlife territories have escalated encounters between humans and elephants – usually lone male elephants – leading to fatalities and injuries on both sides, and economic losses. As in other parts of Asia, elephants also hold profound cultural significance in the KL – one example is the elephant-headed Lord Ganesha, the widely revered Hindu god known as the ‘remover of obstacles’ and bringer of good luck. As a result, tolerance to elephants in general is high. It is important to build on this to address drivers of conflict and promote human-elephant coexistence.

The changes driving conflict

Over the years, the expansion of human populations into natural habitats has worsened HEC. Human activities have degraded elephant habitats, leaving elephants with limited access to food and water. As a result, they increasingly wander into human settlements in search of sustenance, often with devastating consequences. Elephants raid crops, destroy homes, and sometimes cause human casualties. In response, communities defend themselves using various means, some of which can be fatal to elephants. This cycle of violence only perpetuates the conflict, harming both humans and elephants.

One of the key factors exacerbating this conflict is habitat loss. Elephants are large herbivores that require extensive areas of land to meet their dietary needs. With shrinking forests and dwindling food sources, elephants are forced to forage in human-dominated landscapes, such as agricultural fields and villages. This not only leads to significant economic losses for farmers but also puts elephants at risk of retaliatory attacks. The growth of tea plantations and the expansion of agriculture have disrupted the natural movement and feeding patterns of elephants. Traditional migratory routes have been blocked or fragmented, further compounding the problem. The consequences of these encounters are not just physical; they leave lasting emotional scars on affected communities. Families, particularly those who lose loved ones or suffer significant property damage, are often left with deep-seated fear and resentment towards elephants, creating a hostile environment for conservation efforts.

Changing elephant behaviour

As elephants increasingly frequent human settlements, they have also altered their feeding habits. These animals, known for their remarkable intelligence and highly developed sense of smell, are drawn to human foods such as cereal flour, salt, homemade brews, and livestock feed. This shift in their diet is driven by the scarcity of natural food sources in their natural habitat and their ability to detect food from great distances. When elephants invade human settlements in search of these foods, the results are often disastrous, and the social consequences are profound. In many cases, the loss of a family member, particularly a male head of household, can force children to abandon their education to support the family.

The economic and emotional toll of these conflicts extends beyond the immediate physical damage, affecting the social fabric of entire communities. Moreover, the economic costs of HEC are significant. The expenses associated with protecting crops, combined with the losses incurred due to wildlife damage, have driven some farmers to abandon their land. In the north of West Bengal, eastern India, many farmers are leaving their fields fallow, which threatens local food security and economic stability. Traditional deterrent methods, such as fences, firecrackers, and sirens, have proven ineffective with time, as elephants quickly learn to bypass or dismantle these barriers. In some tragic cases, the use of firecrackers has even led to fatal accidents for both humans and elephants.

Waste management woes

In addition to habitat loss, poor waste management is also exacerbating HEC. Improperly disposed food waste attracts elephants, increasing the likelihood of encounters. In Bhutan’s Samtse district, bordering the Indian state of West Bengal, landfill sites beside the highways attract elephants, endangering residents, including schoolchildren. Communities need improved waste disposal practices, such as secure landfill sites and waste incineration, alongside education programmes on responsible waste management. By reducing food attractants, the risk of human-elephant encounters can be minimised, while reducing the risk of harm to elephants from consuming plastics and other toxic materials that are dumped in these sites.

Addressing resource gaps in HEC management

One of the primary challenges in managing HEC is the scarcity of human resources and equipment. In many affected areas, there are insufficient numbers of wildlife rangers and forest guards to respond to potential conflict situations promptly. Additionally, inadequate equipment and early warning systems hinder the ability to alert communities to the presence of elephants. Another issue is the inefficiency of compensation mechanisms for victims of HEC. Lengthy procedures and inadequate monetary compensation discourage people from seeking compensation, leading to distrust and antipathy towards government agencies. This also erodes community's willingness to participate in conservation efforts, further aggravating the conflict.

Pathways to coexistence: mitigation strategies

Despite the challenges, several strategies offer hope for advancing coexistence between humans and elephants. One of the most promising approaches is habitat restoration. Healthy ecosystems provide elephants with the food and water they need, reducing their need to venture into human settlements. Restoring degraded habitats and creating wildlife corridors can enable elephants to move between fragmented habitats without encountering human populations.

Empowering local communities and wildlife authorities is another critical step in managing HEC. Education and awareness programmes, coupled with training in wildlife management, can equip communities with the knowledge and skills needed to mitigate conflict. Establishing Rapid Response Teams (RRT) and equipping and training them to handle emergencies can also reduce the likelihood of fatal or dangerous encounters. Livelihood diversification offers a sustainable solution to HEC. By encouraging farmers to cultivate crops that are less palatable to elephants, communities can create buffer zones around more palatable crops, thereby reducing the risk of crop raids by the pachyderms. Governments can further support these efforts by offering financial incentives, such as subsidies or tax breaks, to encourage farmers to adopt sustainable agricultural practices.

Finally, improving compensation and insurance systems is essential for rebuilding trust between affected communities and government agencies. Transparent, efficient, and equitable compensation processes can ensure that victims of HEC receive timely and adequate support, which can reduce the likelihood of retaliatory killings of elephants and foster greater tolerance for wildlife.

Transboundary cooperation is key

In the eastern Himalayas, elephants are transboundary animals and are unstoppable when they migrate across international borders in search of food and water. So, the key to preventing and managing HEC in the region is transboundary cooperation. It is crucial that Bhutan, India, and Nepal collaborate on research, share information about elephant movement, form transboundary HEC prevention and mitigation teams, and develop joint management strategies to manage human-elephant interactions and conflict. It is only through cross-border cooperation that governments, conservation organisations, and local communities can pool resources and knowledge to address the complex challenges posed by HEC.

ICIMOD recognises transboundary cooperation as the key to finding long-lasting solutions to HEC. It is working to bring the three nations together to prioritise HWC as a central issue for regional development, and has launched a dedicated initiative to address this transboundary concern.

Transboundary cooperation can also help restore connectivity between fragmented habitats along the borders, helping elephants use and migrate safely between habitats without encountering human settlements and other developments. These efforts may be the last glimmer of hope to lessen the sorrows of widows in settlements like Bahundangi, restore children’s right to education in Naxalbari, and ease the schoolchildren’s persistent fear of elephant encounters in Samtse.

(Kesang Wangchuk is a biodiversity specialist at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development.)