Jhapa, June 27: Over the past 15 years, elephant attacks in Jhapa have claimed the lives of 72 individuals—including seven foreign nationals—and left 92 others injured, according to data from the Division Forest Office. Dr. Suman Bhul from the office reported that five people died and six were injured in such attacks just in the past year alone, reflecting an annual average of five fatalities due to human-elephant conflict.

To curb this alarming trend, authorities in the district have rolled out a range of mitigation strategies, including the installation of electric fencing, creation of water ponds, and the planting of fruit-bearing trees to divert elephants away from human settlements.

However, the crisis is not one-sided. The number of tusker deaths in the district is also on the rise. Since 2006, 25 tuskers have been found dead in Jhapa, with four tuskers dying in the current fiscal year and another four in the previous year. These deaths are often a direct result of increasing friction between humans and wildlife as habitats continue to overlap.

In response to the rising toll, the government has distributed over Rs 96.8 million in compensation to victims affected by elephant-related incidents. Families of those who have lost their lives receive Rs 1 million, while the injured can claim up to Rs 200,000 in relief, according to Dr. Bhul.

—People’s News Monitoring Service