Guwahati: The death of a 65-year-old man in a wild elephant attack in Nalbari district has raised questions over the Assam Forest Department’s monitoring of radio-collared elephants.
On July 8, a wild elephant attacked four people who had gone to the bank of the Padladiya river near Katahkuchi for the cremation of a deceased person. One of them, Anna Kalita (65), was killed, while three others escaped by jumping into the river.
The incident occurred in the home district of Environment and Forest Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah.
RTI activist Dilip Nath said an elephant from the herd had earlier been fitted with a radio collar, an electronic tracking device used to monitor movement.
“The radio collar was fitted around the elephant only to monitor the animal’s movement. It is surprising how the Forest Department could not track the elephant even when the herd came out of the reserve forest and entered a human habitation area,” Nath said.
He demanded action against forest personnel responsible for monitoring elephant movement.
“I hope the Forest Minister immediately takes action against the officials. If there was negligence in monitoring the elephant’s movement, action should be taken against the guilty officials,” Nath said.
The radio-collaring exercise was carried out jointly by the Forest Department and the Bengaluru-based Asian Nature Conservation Foundation in 2023. The stated objective was to track elephant movement and generate ecological and conflict-management data.
The Forest Department, with ANCF as the implementing partner, is responsible for monitoring the radio collars.
Nath alleged that monitoring had not been carried out effectively.
“In reality, they do not monitor regularly. The battery on the collar might have died,” he said.
The incident has also drawn attention to the first-ever radio-collaring exercise conducted in Baksa district.
On November 18, 2024, a tusker from a herd of about 50 elephants was radio-collared in Baksa by the Assam Forest Department and the Baksa Forest Division under the Bodoland Territorial Region. Veterinary and technical support was provided by the Assam State Zoo and Aaranyak, among other stakeholders.
The purpose of the exercise was to determine elephant occupancy within a particular range and to scientifically study ecology, habitat utilisation patterns, movement and occupancy for better conservation planning.
“There has been no report on whether monitoring of this collar is continuing. That needs to be examined,” Nath added.
For the family of Anna Kalita, the questions over the monitoring system come in the wake of a tragedy that unfolded during a funeral gathering by the riverbank. Residents said elephant movement near human settlements has become a recurring concern, particularly when herds stray out of forested areas.
The Nalbari incident has brought the functioning of the radio-collaring programme under scrutiny, with questions being raised over whether the tracking system was operational when the herd entered the area where the attack took place.