Kendrapara: Man-elephant confrontation has reached flashpoint in the state with rampaging jumbos killing humans at will.

As many as 547 have fallen prey to the animals and 288 were injured in confrontation from April 2010 till December 18, 2017. During the same period, 571 elephants have also perished mostly due to poaching, electrocution and poisoning.

The current month accounts for nearly dozen of human killings by pachyderms.

Official sources said 92 human-elephant confrontation occurred between April and December 19, while accounting for 64 human casualties with 44 persons being injured in the conflict. In the preceding year (April 16 to March 17), 72 people had perished, while 44 were injured following rampaging jumbos.

Forest minister Bijayshree Routray had earlier expressed concern when wolves had attacked and killed more than 130 sheep at Niali in Cuttack district this summer. "However the insensitive government is yet to take a serious view of the rampant killing of humans by elephants. Measures to stop elephants' depredation in human habitation areas are either half-hearted or poorly executed. This is leading to rising intolerance from impoverished farmers and tribal settlers, who are the usual victims of elephant attacks as they stay in the forest areas," said wildlife activist Biswajit Mohanty.

On majority of occasions, the tuskers are locked in confrontation with humans. There are particular tuskers, which are aggressive and account for many killings. It is possible to prevent those confrontations if the particular tuskers are identified and continuously tracked, so that information about their movements can be passed on to local farmers and alert them of their presence, he said.

At present, a tusker is on rampage, killing three people in the Khamara forest range of Deogarh division.

"Measures to drive away the animals from the area are left much to be desired. It seems that the forest officials wait for the animal to claim its next prey," he said.

Defecation in the forest areas also result in man-jumbo confrontation. The forest department should also sensitise the people to use toilets as open defecation exposes them to elephant attacks. "The department should come up with plan to construct community toilets in the very critical conflict areas," he said.

SMS warnings to local farmers will go a long way in bringing down the confrontations and human casualties as it has been observed in Bengal and Karnataka.

The state is home to 1,976 elephants according to the latest synchronised census of these animals. Odisha, which houses 70 per cent of total elephant population in eastern India, has been witnessing deteriorating human-elephant conflict with elephant depredation spreading to 26 out of 30 districts of the state.