Changes in food habits and the availability of easy food sources have led elephants to venture into human settlements, leading to the escalation of human-elephant conflict, according to Odisha forest officials.

Instead of depending on forest produce, elephants are now entering human habitation to eat the rice stored in tribal households.

During the last fortnight, four people were trampled to death by elephants in different parts of the state. The state had reported 66 elephant deaths in 2023-24 alone. One elephant calf and another were injured when a goods train hit them while they were crossing the railway line in Rourkela Forest Division areas on Monday night. Another elephant calf survived the train accident, was tranquilised and shifted to Nadanakanan Zoo in Bhubaneswar for treatment on Wednesday. Forest officials explained the reasons for the rise in these conflicts.

Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Sundergarh, Mirase Pradeep Devidas told The Telegraph: "Unplanned urbanization near forest areas and changes in elephants' food habits have escalated the human-animal conflict. As elephants struggle to find food in the forests, they turn to paddy fields. However, they've discovered that targeting the rice stored in tribal homes is even easier. The smell of stored rice leads them into villages, increasing human-elephant confrontation."

Officials also admitted that the ongoing mining activities in the tribal-dominated areas impact the movement of pachyderms. They come out of the forest areas and enter human habitations. “We need to protect the elephant corridors and give them passage to move from one area to another area safely. Human habitations near forest areas need to be removed. We need to change the forest rights act accordingly. But it lacks political will and forest department’s unwillingness to act on it," former honorary wildlife warden, Bhanu Mitra Acharya told this newspaper.

Forest officials noted that elephants typically enjoy eating bamboo, banyan tree branches, peepal leaves, and palm fruit. Unfortunately, due to human activities, bamboo has been overexploited, and key tree species like banyan, peepal, and palm are becoming rare, pushing the elephants into human settlements.

Odisha’s forests host various bamboo species, including Dendrocalamus strictus (Salia), a favourite of elephants. However, due to its widespread use, bamboo is now in short supply. Additionally, traditional practices such as planting banyan and peepal trees for religious reasons have declined, reducing these natural food sources for elephants.