Human-elephant conflict: A win-win resolution
By Sreevalli Sreenivasan
Debut author Sreevalli Sreenivasan will be in city tomorrow to participate in the 9th Edition of the Mysuru Children’s Literature Festival-2024. Sreevalli has a Mysuru connection too — she is the great grand-daughter of Mandyam A. Sreenivasan, who occupied many posts in the Princely State of Mysore, including the posts of President of the Mysore City Municipal Council and Chairman of City Improvement Trust Board (CITB), which is now Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA).
Sreevalli, daughter of M.A. Sreenivasan and Sujatha Sreenivasan from Bengaluru, is also the grand-niece of renowned economist and author Devaki Jain. Notably, Devaki Jain’s son, Sreenivasan Jain, is a well-known TV journalist, formerly associated with NDTV. Sreevalli’s children’s book, ‘Let the Elephants Bee,’ explores pressing environmental issues. Here we publish Sreevalli’s insightful article which delves into the escalating human-elephant conflict, examining its roots in habitat loss, human encroachment and climate change. —Ed
Elephants are mega-herbivores that eat up to 150 kilograms of forage, largely grass, leaves and bark and drink up to 190 litres of water a day. They must traverse large areas to find food and water to survive. However, the land they rely on is changing because of human settlements and climate change.
The biggest threat to the survival of Asian elephants is habitat loss. According to the World Wide Fund (WWF) for Nature, only 15 percent of the historical roaming range of Asian elephants remains. Thus, forcing elephants to travel through human dominated landscapes.
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