Human-Elephant conflict: VDBSA seeks EF&CC minister’s intervention

VDB Secretaries’ Association (VDBSA), RD Block Changpang, has sought the immediate intervention of the minister of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (EF&CC), CL John, to address the escalating human-elephant conflict (HEC) in Changpang block, Wokha district.
In an open letter to minister EF&CC, VDBSA president Sentsudy P.B. Sen Yanthan highlighted that wild elephant menace has become a serious threat, particularly in Chanka Village and across the block under 40 Bhandari Assembly Constituency.
The association stated that Jürang valley and adjoining villages have long been a hub for vagrant wild elephants, affecting at least a dozen villages from Akuk-Mekokla to Chanka and beyond.
It said that frequent encounters were reported throughout 2025, yet no relief measures or scientific mitigation efforts were implemented by the department. VDBSA Changpang highlighted the recent incidents including destruction of areca nut and banana plantations at Chanka (New Mekokla) and Tssori New villages on the nights of December 27, 2025, and January 12, 2026.
It stated that a herd of over a dozen elephants entering Chanka village on January 15, 2026, around 8pm, causing widespread panic among residents.
While acknowledging the department’s efforts in population monitoring, awareness, and training, the association stressed the need for coordinated, effective redressal measures to protect cultivators and farmers, who solely depend on agriculture and horticulture for their livelihood.
Further, the association emphasised the importance of finding a balanced approach to protect both human lives and the elephants. It noted that the rising population of wild elephants posed an increasing hazard to daily life and safety in the region.
The association has, therefore, urged the minister to treat the matter as genuine and urgent, strategise appropriate countermeasures, and deliver immediate remedy before human lives were endangered in the name of wildlife protection.