Elephant menace in Kodagu escalates

Farmers live in fear

Madikeri: The elephant menace in Kodagu district has reached alarming levels, forcing farmers, plantation workers and residents to live in constant fear.

The notion that elephant troubles are limited to specific areas is long outdated — wild elephants have now entrenched themselves across Kodagu’s coffee plantations. Estimates suggest that over 300 elephants currently inhabit these plantations, making human-elephant conflict a daily reality.

Plantations turn  into habitats

In the past, wild elephants entered coffee plantations seeking food but eventually returned to the forests. Over time, however, many elephants remained in the plantations, breeding and increasing their numbers.  Efforts to drive them back have had limited success, as elephants born and raised in plantations consider them their natural habitat.

Attempts by the Forest Department to relocate them often fail — elephants resist being driven away, attack forest personnel and return to the plantations by morning. Today, they are no longer restricted to forest fringes but are seen in towns and even near homes, heightening fears among locals.

Decades of unfulfilled promises

Elephant crisis in Kodagu has worsened since 1990s, with successive Governments and public representatives failing to deliver a permanent solution. Periodic elephant-driving operations provide only temporary relief as they return within days, leaving farmers frustrated and helpless.

Various measures — such as trenches, railway barricades, and solar fences — were introduced by different Governments, but incomplete implementation and poor maintenance have rendered them ineffective.

The southern part of Kodagu now faces additional threats from tigers, leopards and wild boars, exacerbating the struggles of farmers. Successive Governments have made hollow promises, but the time for action is now. A comprehensive and effective strategy is imperative to protect both human lives and livelihoods.

Migratory patterns in plantations

Elephants born and raised in plantations have developed migratory feeding habits, moving freely between estates in search of food such as grass, jackfruit, bananas, arecanuts, coconuts, bamboo and fruit trees.

With thousands of acres of coffee plantations, elephants travel in herds and rely on plantation ponds for water. Tragic incidents have been reported where elephants, after playing in water bodies, drown due to their inability to climb out — further evidence of their deep-rooted presence in plantations.

Elephant menace in Kodagu is no longer a seasonal issue but a permanent crisis. Without bold and immediate intervention, the district’s farmers will continue to suffer and human-elephant conflicts will only escalate.