Bhubaneswar: The Keonjhar forest division in Odisha, is using a unique blend of music and technology to bring down cases of human-animal conflict at villages located on the periphery of the forest.
The aim is to sensitise people on elephant behaviour and promote peaceful coexistence. Odisha is home to about 2,098 elephants (as per the 2024 census). The animal holds special significance in the state and is revered.
However, human-elephant confrontations are a major problem. According to records, 149 people were killed in elephant encounters in 2023-24. Of them, 18 died in the Keonjhar district.
At the same time, nearly 790 elephants were killed in the state over the last 10 years. As many as 126 of them were electrocuted by illegal electric wires hung near farmland to protect crops.
As part of their initiative, officials of the Keonjhar forest division have composed a song and used Artificial Intelligence tools to prepare a set of easy-to-follow guidelines, in the form of an illustration book, to promote safety of both people and the gentle giants.
This is part of the ongoing efforts to reduce confrontation in forest-fringe areas of Keonjhar territorial division where expanding human activity brings people in contact with the wildlife, elephants in particular.
When it comes to human-elephant conflict, Keonjhar is the second worst-affected area after the Angul-Dhenkanal region, officials have said. This is due to increased industrial activities, including mining, in recent years.
Keonjhar DFO Dhamdhere Dhanraj Hanumant said they have created a song ‘Namaskar Gajanan’, beautifully capturing the life of elephants, their behaviour and the important dos and dont’s that would help reduce human-elephant conflict. Popular Odia singers Humane Sagar and Ananya Sritam Nanda have lent their voice for the 7-minute song that has lyrics of Subrat Swain.
The music video is uploaded on YouTube and has chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi’s message, calling for the protection of the heritage animal.
To complement this, the division, using AI tools, has also prepared a set of guidelines containing simple messages with pictures providing practical steps for farmers, villagers and commuters to reduce risks of accidental encounters and conflict with the jumbos.
“We are planning to print about 5,000 mini booklets of these guidelines and distribute them among school students and in village-level meetings, primarily in forest-fringe areas and those vulnerable to conflict in the division. The soft copy of the guidelines are also being shared on social media platforms as part of the sensitisation drive,” the DFO said.
“The song and illustration book are timely and powerful communication tools intended at building awareness, empathy and practical knowledge among local communities living in elephant landscapes,” regional chief conservator of forests (RCCF) P Ramaswamy said,