Experts have said that if immediate strategies and programs are not formulated to save the elephants in Nepal, they may disappear soon.
The number of elephants is said to be declining due to declining habitat and lack of food. At the same time, it has been seen to increase the conflict between humans and elephants. Elephant habitat and movement are found in all the park reserves in the Terai region of Nepal. An elephant needs an area of at least 250 square kilometers. Experts say that as the area shrinks and more elephants are forced to live in smaller areas, elephants can enter nearby human settlements.
Elephants walk for food, for breeding, and if their ancestral path is to walk. While walking in this way, human settlements, fields, and barns are found to be damaged. There are 19 wild elephants along with Arna in the former Koshi Tappu Reserve. The presence of 19 elephants in Koshi Tappu, which has a total area of 175 square kilometers, is the main cause of human-wildlife conflict. In such a conflict, not only human loss but also wildlife is at risk of being killed in an accident. The government needs to work out an immediate strategic plan to reduce the human-elephant conflict and develop the reserve sustainably.
Chief Warden Ram said that the local government and the state government should also play a role in the protection, expansion, and development of Koshi Tappu.
Chairman of the National Nature Conservation Fund, Dr. Krishna Prasad Oli, said that it was necessary to study the number and location of conservation areas in Nepal. The protected area is being surrounded by human settlements and agricultural lands and unnecessary intrusion is increasing the human-wildlife conflict. Oli explained. Dr. Oli said that there is a need to move ahead by amending the existing legal system on capacity and expansion of protected areas and wildlife migration.
Koshitappu Wildlife Sanctuary was established for the protection of wild buffaloes, especially Arna. Although Arna was started for conservation in 2032 BS, now work is being done for the conservation of endangered birds and elephants. Lately, this reserve has become more focused on man-elephant conflict management.
