Forest department officials on African safari

BANGALORE: The state Forest Department seems to have pulled up its socks at last and has began efforts to tackle the man-animal conflict in the state. On December 5, for the first time in the history of the department, seven forest officials will be sent to Africa,  specifically to Kenya and Tanzania, to study management of man-animal conflict and other wildlife management patterns.Speaking to Express, Dr M H Swaminath, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) said, “Man-animal conflict in the state, especially with elephants has been a worrying factor for the department for a while now. For the first time we are sending our officials for such study.”The team would comprise two Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF), two Divisional Forest Officers (DFO), two Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) and an Range Forest Officer (RFO) who will be on the study tour for 12 days.He said, “We have chosen officers who are currently posted at areas which witness man-animal conflict more. The officials are from Bannerghatta, Nagarhole and Bandipur regions. One among them is a CCF working for Project Tiger and one CCF is working for the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management And Planning Authority (CAMPA).” When asked why they are being sent to Africa specifically, Swaminath said, “Africa has the largest number of elephants in the world with around 3.5 lakh and about 80 per cent of the elephants are outside the protected areas. They are managed by the community.” “Masai Mara National Reserve in the south western part of Kenya is widely known for its elephant habitat. Tanzania and Kenya alone have about 60,000 elephants,” he added. Comparatively Karnataka’s elephant population is very less which is just about 6,000 around eight lakh hectares of elephant reserves in the districts of Chamarajanagar, Mysore, Hassan, Kodagu and Ramanagaram falling under Mysore elephant  reserve area. Figures show that the number of deaths across the state due to man-animal conflict was 29 in 2010-11, 33 in 2009-10 and 40 in 2008-09, of which majority are human-elephant conflict.