Villagers urged to show solidarity in conserving elephant

Dimapur, July 6 (EMN): Inspector General of Forest and Director, Project Elephant, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Government of India, New Delhi, R. K. Srivastava, urged the villages affected by elephant to show solidarity in elephant conservation and develop affected areas as tourist centres in the same pattern of protection of Amur falcons.
Speaking as a chief guest on the human- elephant (wild animal) conflict mitigation awareness campaign, Srivastava appealed the villagers not to harm elephants, but to follow adoptive cropping pattern and insure their domestic cattle in consultation with the Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Department for getting compensation against killing by wild elephants.
He also stated that both the Government of India and Nagaland is well aware and concerned with the protracted problem of human-elephant prevalent in the region and said that the Ministry will extend all possible assistance to address the issue by paying compensation/ex-gratia to the affected and for creation of elephant based community reserves.
Srivastava requested the Forest Department to strengthen the Wildlife Wing and create Wildlife Range at Wokha. He also suggested the Chief Wildlife Warden to pursue with concerned authorities for possible infrastructural funding for Wildlife Wing with the North East Council (NEC), Ministry for Development of North- East Region, Government of India (MoDoNER), New Delhi, under Non- Lapsable Central Pool of Resources (NLCPR) scheme.
Wildlife Warden of Dimapur, K. Caroline Angami, IFS, welcomed the participants and gave a brief background of the existing problem in the State.
Chief Wildlife Warden, Nagaland, Satya Prakash Tripathi, in his key note address, stated the genesis of the human animal conflict prevalent in the State in general and elephant problem in Wokha district in particular. He highlighted the policies of the State Government and the MoEF & CC, GoI, New Delhi for addressing the problem. He gave power point presentation, highlighting history extent, assessment and payment of compensation and possible solution to the problem.
He appealed to the people for protection of forest and wildlife and contact forest officials in case of damage of their crop, properties or human life. He presented the status of community reserves in the state.
Power point presentation on different aspects of human-animal conflict, distribution of wild elephants in the region and possibility of opening blocked elephant corridors, connecting Assam and Nagaland, were presented by Meyipokyim, IFS, APCCF (Territorial) and Supongnukshi, CCF(EBR).
Secretary of Forest Department, Imtienla Ao, shared the financial condition of the Government and budget allocation to the Forest department. She informed that Wildlife Range at Wokha would be created soon.
Director of Kaziranga National Park and representative of the Government of Assam, Satyendra Singh, deliberated on possible adoption and mitigation of the elephant problem, pros and cons of opening blocked elephant corridors, between Assam and Nagaland.
Dr. C. Murry, former minister appreciated the efforts of the department and appealed to the Department to provide sufficient elephants repellent materials.
ADC, Wokha spoke on the role played by the district administration in addressing the issue. Additional SP, Wokha spoke on the role of the Police Department in curbing wildlife crime and requested the Forest Department for trainings the police personnel on Wildlife Acts.
Public also highlighted the problems caused by elephants.
After interaction, officials from Wildlife Crime Control Branch, Dimapur presented a demonstration on elephant repellents.
The programme was held at Hammock Resort, Wokha town on July 4, organised by Forest Department under the sponsorship of the MoEF&CC, GoI, New Delhi.