With animal habitats shrinking and their corridors fast vanishing in Jharkhand amid rampant construction activities, instances of man-elephant conflicts have spiked in the state, as reports suggested that 133 people have died in jumbo attacks in the last fiscal, a steep climb from 84 the year before.

A 65-year-old man, who was trampled to death by an elephant in Ranchi's Tamar area on January 22, and a two-year-old boy crushed to death by a herd are among the latest victims of such conflicts. In January alone, at least five people in Jharkhand have died in elephant attacks, officials said.

In its RTI reply to advocate Satya Prakash, the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate stated that 462 people have died in man-elephant conflicts in a span of five years since 2017, 133 alone in the last fiscal. Neighbouring Odisha lost 499 people, while Assam and West Bengal recorded 385 and 358 casualties respectively in the five-year period.

Wildlife experts as well as forest officials noted that encroached corridors, shortage of forest food and habitat fragmentation are the factors exacerbating man-elephant conflicts. According to India State of Forest Report (ISFR), Jharkhand's forest cover has increased by 243 square kilometers -- from 23,478 sqkm in 2015 to 23,716 sqkm in 2021 -- but that, however, did not curb the menace in any way.?

DS Srivastava, a former member of Government of India's Steering Committee for Project Elephant, told PTI that unplanned development work, mining activities, unregulated grazing, forest fires and encounters between Maoists and security forces have caused major damage to animal habitats.

"Forest cover might have increased in the state but animal habitats have degraded in the past one decade. ?Elephants are facing food scarcity owing to thinning of bamboo and grass canopy," he said. "Also, elephants are fast losing their traditional movement routes. One of the corridors -- from Saranda forests in Jharkhand to Sundargarh in Odisha -- was destroyed due to mining. Similarly, several hurdles have come up for elephants from Ramgarh in Jharkhand to Purulia in Bengal due to a national highway expansion project. These are just two of the many examples that can be cited," Srivastava explained.

A former state wildlife board member, he said the conflicts may just increase with time as the jumbos, in search of food, may keep moving to villages, causing damage to human lives, property and crops. Last week, villagers had taken to the streets in Ranchi’s Sonahatu block in protest against one such rampage, Srivastava pointed out. Similar protests were also witnessed in Latehar district, he said.

"Elephant calves are gradually turning into grain eaters, and that is a cause for concern. If forests were not restored in line with their needs, these elephants will start depending only on grains. Under such circumstances, man-elephant conflicts will become a common affair in the state," Srivastava warned. He blamed the government for lack of initiatives to end the menace.

Jharkhand Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) Sasikar Samanta, meanwhile, admitted that conflicts have increased in the state due to "growing human pressure" on the ecosystem, and said necessary steps were being taken.?"We are working on a long-term plan to revamp elephant habitats and corridors. As of now, villagers have to follow the guidelines issued by the department in the face of such attacks," he added.