GENTLE GIANTS TURN TYRANTS

The elephants of Assam

Towards the North-eastern part of India lies Assam, a state of 78438 sq kilometers. Roughly the shape of a T, the near-horizontal limb is bisected by the mighty Brahmaputra, dividing the state into the North and South banks. From the middle of the vertical limb of the T to the juncture with the horizontal, Assam used to boast of a lush green cover, linking the forests from Doldoli through Nambor to Kazaringa—the famed home of the Unicornis (the endangered single horned Indian rhinoceros)—even as recently as twenty years ago. Situated, as it is, in the tropics, the variety of  rain-forest-flora, the abundance of water and the warm and humid tropical climate make Assam an ideal home for the Asiatic Elephant.

The majority of the people living in the state are farmers practicing traditional methods of agriculture which, despite the fertility of the soil, yields a relatively poor harvest. Consequently, land is always at a premium, and more and more forest cover is being stripped to feed an ever burgeoning population. Recent political upheavals led to the proliferation of unscrupulous forest contractors who looted timber and laid waste vast tracts of forests. Since every organism depends for its survival on its neighbour, the giant Saal and Tita-sopa trees gone, the plantains and elephant grass—natural fodder for the elephant—disappeared. Nambor forest turned into a barren field. Lack of a comprehensive political vision complicated the problem further. In the name of progress, a refinery was set up at Numaligarh, in a patch of forest corridor linking Nambor with Kazaringa. The place linking the corridor with Kazaringa saw the setting up of a rock- quarry using dynamite and power machines.

Of all pachyderms, from the Sri-Lankan and Thai to the African, the Indian elephant is considered to be the most gentle, and the pachyderm most suitable for interaction with (and servitude to) humans. However, one needs to remember that this largest of land mammals needs to forage to the level of 270-320 kilograms of green fodder a day as well as 60-80 litres of water. Moreover, water-bodies affording it regular baths, are a must. When one adds to this the fact that a single herd of elephants numbers about thirty to seventy or more cows and calves, the territory needed just for survival becomes obvious. Then again, bulls are mainly solitary and need additional territory for themselves.

In better times elephants were free to roam through the vast forest cover. Since the Southern part of the state is relatively dryer than the northern, Nambor and Doldoli was the natural monsoon home for the elephant. When the dryer months approached, they migrated through the forest corridors to Kazaringa. En-route lay Numaligarh which, with its undulating landscape of hills and wetlands and the waters of the Dhonsiri river, offered an ideal mating ground. Doldoli to Kazaringa was more than room enough to rear the young. Most importantly, the migration routes never wandered through human habitation. Possibilities for a man-elephant conflict were, therefore, negligible, or even non-existent—a fact proved by the lack of records indicating attacks of any elephants except rogues or elephants gone Musth (a condition indicated by oily secretions from the forehead. Even tame elephants become unpredictable and uncontrollable during Musth) in the past.

Depletion of the forest cover has made it extremely difficult for this gentle giant to survive. Migration has become the only option. Yet, bang on the middle of its route lies a giant refinery that even takes away its mating grounds. Even if it decides to skirt the refinery, the entrance to the only protected area it has is booming with dynamite explosions, which torture its sensitive sense of hearing beyond endurance. What can this poor creature do except seek an alternative route for migration. After all, for it, it is a matter of survival!

Unfortunately, there are no alternatives, barring those leading through villages, tea-estates and paddy fields. Such routes invariably lead to a conflict with human interests. Banana plantations, for instance,—income for humans—are simply much needed fodder for the elephants. Very often, attempts to chase herds away with fire crackers, noise-makers and lighted torches, result in enraging the creatures that, therefore, attack. A press, devoted to sensationalism and picturing humans as the injured party, does not make things any easier for the animal.

Is there a way out for this magnificent creature? With political will, greater awareness and people’s participation—certainly! Alternative routes can be developed through new afforestation programmes. Decimated forests can be re-planted. People can be offered subsidized living instead of attempting to scare elephants away from their fields. Or inhabited land along the migration routes can be given back to nature, with man relocated to conflict-free zones. The possibilities are many. Is man ready to consider them? The survival of one of the most magnificent of creatures depends on a decision to be taken, ironically, by puny man.

Project report submitted by

Anuraag Phukan

Class IX A

Maria’s Public School

Birkuchi, Guwahati