Over 750 people killed in elephant-human conflicts in 2012-15

Elephant-human conflicts have claimed the lives of more than 750 people in the country in 2012-15 period, government said today.
"Since 2012-13 to 2014-15, 72 people lost their lives in tiger-human conflicts while 769 human casualties were reported in the same time period in elephant-human conflicts," Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said in a written reply in Rajya Sabha.
While 371 people were killed after coming in contact with elephants in 2012-13, 335 people were killed in 2013-14, and 63 in 2014-15, he said.
In tiger-human conflicts, 22 people were killed in 2012-13, 24 in 2013-14 and 26 in 2014-15, he said.

Javadekar said incidences of human-wildlife interactions including loss of human lives and damage to crops by wild animals are reported in various parts of the country from time to time.
"The central government provides financial assistance to states and UTs under centrally sponsored schemes of integrated development of wildlife habitats, project tiger and project elephant for management of wildlife and its habitats in the country which inter alia helps in preventing human-animal conflict," he said.
The activities supported under these are construction of physical barriers including solar power electrice fence and bio-fencing using cactus, improvement of wildlife habitat by augmenting availability of food and water and others.

Keeping in view the losses to crops by wild animals, the Ministry has issued an advisory to states and also sought proposals from them, he said.