Third elephant attack in a month claims life in Arunachal’s Tirap district

A man was killed by a wild elephant in Thalot village of Tirap district late July 31 night, marking the third fatal elephant attack in Arunachal Pradesh within a month. Officials identified the victim as Jatphok Sawin, who was attacked between 9 and 10 pm.

The tragic incident has once again highlighted the growing human-elephant conflict in the region. Earlier, on July 9, former Khonsa North MLA Kapchen Rajkumar was trampled to death during a morning walk between Namsang and Deomali. 

On July 28, a 46-year-old tea garden labourer, Dhiren Tati, also lost his life after being attacked by a wild elephant at his residence in Aghuripather.

Following the latest incident, Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF) Deomali, Chimoy Simai, visited Thalot village on Friday. He acknowledged the increasing challenges faced by the forest department, citing a severe shortage of personnel and the difficulty of tracking wild elephants in dense forest terrain, particularly during nighttime hours when the animals are most active.

Simai informed that the department has been stepping up efforts, including around-the-clock patrolling, addressing manpower shortages, and distributing firecrackers to villagers as a precautionary measure. He also listed compensation and ex gratia payments for damage to life and property, and shared that proposals for surveillance towers and construction of elephant trenches with barbed wire fencing at key locations are in the pipeline.

Residents were advised to remain alert and avoid leaving food waste near their homes, as it tends to attract elephants. Simai also suggested planting king chilli plants as a natural deterrent.

He added that an emergency meeting would soon be convened to formulate a comprehensive strategy to mitigate human-wildlife conflict and ensure the safety of communities living near forested areas.