Assam: Wild elephant kills man in Goalpara district

In a tragic incident in Assam's Goalpara district, a man named Babul Sangma was fatally attacked by a wild elephant. 

The attack occurred in Goalpara's Godavari at night, while on his way to his home on January 11. 

Following the incident, officials from the Assam Forest Department were dispatched to the scene, and the man's body was taken to the hospital for a post-mortem examination.

This event is part of a larger pattern of human-elephant conflict in the region. 

Goalpara has been identified as a high-intensity zone for such conflicts, with over 10 human deaths reported in 2023 alone. 

In the previous year, the district saw 28 human fatalities. The conflict has also resulted in the loss of elephant lives, with seven elephants dying in both 2022 and 2023.

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Across Assam, the human-elephant conflict has led to numerous casualties. Over the last decade, approximately 250 elephants have died in the state, which boasts the second-highest population of wild elephants in India. Causes of death include electrocution, poisoning, and train accidents. 

In recent years, there has been a significant number of deaths due to elephant attacks, with 585 incidents in 2019-20, 461 in 2020-21, and a slight increase to 535 in the last reported year.

The broader issue of human-wildlife conflict in Assam is marked by a high rate of incidents, with more than 70 people and 80 elephants dying each year. 

Efforts to mitigate these conflicts include the establishment of protected areas, ecological corridors, and the use of deterrents such as electric fences and early warning systems. The Assam government has also launched Anti-Depredation Squads to address these conflicts more effectively.

The Gauhati High Court has directed the creation of a special task force to monitor actions taken to curb human-wildlife conflicts, emphasizing the need for legal protection of elephant habitats and corridors to reduce encounters with humans. These measures aim to protect both human and elephant lives and promote coexistence between communities and wildlife in Assam.