The Centre for Conservation and Research (CCR) said that the unsystematic, unscientific operation to drive away elephants must be halted since it has been an utter failure.
Studies have revealed that such operations have resulted in increasing the Human-Elephant Conflict. The Centre said that herds including female elephants and baby elephants never destroy crops or attack farmers. Therefore, these elephants can be removed safely, the Centre said.
However, male elephants become aggressive and murderous when they cannot find food, water and safe habitats. The Wildlife Department sources report that the Human-Elephant conflict is now on the increase in the Dry Zone because of such reasons.
The Centre, therefore, said that the top priority should be given to erect community based electric fences to prevent elephants from invading and causing heavy damages to settlements and cultivation.
However, Rs. 2.4 million has to be spent annually on confining a single elephant and Rs. 9,600 million on confining 4,000 elephants to a reservation, the studies reveal.
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