Hindol Farmers Abandon Crops Amid Rising Elephant Conflict in Dhenkanal

HINDOL: The ongoing Hindol elephant conflict has left farmers in Odisha’s Dhenkanal district devastated, with many abandoning their fields after repeated crop destruction and fatal encounters.

Elephant Raids Push Farmers to the Brink

In Baghadharia village, 70-year-old Amira Majhi stands in silence, mourning not just the loss of three fellow villagers to a recent elephant attack, but also the slow death of farming in the region. Once a proud cultivator, Majhi’s five-acre farmland now lies fallow after years of crop depredation by elephants and wild boar.

ALSO READ| Farmer Killed in Elephant Attack in Dhenkanal’s Hindol Forest Area

“Farming here has become impossible. Elephants come close to the villages in search of food, and we lose everything overnight,” Majhi said, his voice heavy with frustration.

The problem is widespread. In Nuabaga village, farmer Bibhuti Bhusan Dehury lost his crops to a herd just 20 days ago and is still awaiting compensation under the state’s Anukampa scheme. “It’s impossible to survive like this,” he lamented.

Escalating Human-Wildlife Tensions

The Hindol elephant conflict has created a dangerous cycle of loss and retaliation. While farmers suffer crop damage and fatalities, elephants too face rising threats from illegal electrification of solar fences, poisoning, and traps.

ALSO READ| Odisha Launches Awareness Drive in Dhenkanal to Tackle Rising Man-Elephant Conflict

According to Forest Department data, Dhenkanal has recorded the highest number of elephant deaths and human casualties in Odisha over the past six years — 74 elephants and 167 people. In 2024-25 alone, 10 elephants and 23 people lost their lives.

Forest Officials Under Pressure

Frontline forest staff work under extreme stress, patrolling day and night to keep elephants away from villages while facing anger from locals demanding instant protection and compensation. “We are caught between protecting animals and calming villagers,” said forest guard Soubhagya Sahu.

ALSO READ| Wild Elephant Found Dead in Dhenkanal; Electrocution Suspected in Tragic Incident

Experts Call for Urgent Action

Retired IFS officer Suresh Kumar Mishra warns that without safe corridors, the situation will worsen. The traditional Anantapur-Kanheijena corridor linking Dhenkanal to Keonjhar is now severed by infrastructure, trapping elephants in smaller forest patches.

He stressed the need for secure passageways, prompt compensation, and planting fruit-bearing trees like banana and jackfruit to divert elephants away from farmlands.

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