Guwahati (Assam) [India], October 17 (ANI): Two mature elephants died on September 18 and October 6, allegedly due to deliberate electrocution, in Assam’s Tamulpur and the adjacent Baksa district, respectively. One person died on September 25 in Tamulpur district following an encounter with a lone wild elephant.
With such serious incidents occurring in the last one and a half months, Aaranyak could not delay its response. Further, with the harvesting season underway, human–elephant conflicts are peaking in several parts of Western Assam.
With support from the IUCN SSC Centre for Species Survival Asian Elephant Rapid Response 2026 Grant and in collaboration with the Assam State Forest Department, Aaranyak conducted two community consultation-cum-awareness workshops for four project villages in Tamulpur district on October 9, 2026, as an immediate intervention.
One workshop was held in Santipur village and the other in Abhaypur village of the district.
These community consultation meetings primarily focused on pre-implementation community engagement, wherein villagers from the proposed project villages under the 2026 Grant expressed their willingness to participate, suggested suitable locations for the installation of human–elephant conflict (HEC) mitigation tools, and helped identify key individuals and households that require searchlights to navigate during dark hours in the villages or guard their commons against elephant intrusions.
These meetings ensured that the communities were fully informed and that there was complete transparency regarding the implementation of any human–elephant conflict mitigation activities.
The interactions also provided an opportunity to understand the communities’ willingness and perceptions regarding such activities, both in the present and in the days to come.
With the communities right next to us, we took this ideal and rare opportunity to also engage with them on elephant conservation education and awareness of human–elephant coexistence. Almost 110 individuals participated in the two programmes.
Anushka Saikia, Project Officer of Aaranyak’s Elephant Research and Conservation Division (ERCD), who is also the grantee of the IUCN SSC CSS Asian Elephant Rapid Response 2026 Grant, moderated the sessions, while Abhilasha Boruah, Project Officer of the same division, conducted the awareness sessions.
Aaranyak’s field and ground staff, Rupam Goyari, Abhijit Saikia, and Sachin Basnet, provided facilitation support during the programmes. The programmes were also graced by forest staff from the Kumarikata Range of Tamulpur district.
On the other hand, bicycles for patrolling purposes were provided to frontline forest staff of Raimona National Park by the Department of Environment and Forest of Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) with support from Legal and Advocacy Division (LAD) of Aaranyak, a registered society dedicated to biodiversity conservation and environmental protection.
Ten bicycles were handed over to the forest staff during a programme held at Kachugaon Forest IB at Central Range, Raimona National Park, on October 14, to bolster their field mobility, patrolling activities, and wildlife conservation efforts.
This support aims to improve the operational capacity of forest personnel, enabling them to carry out their duties more sustainably. These initiatives reflect Aaranyak’s continued commitment to supporting frontline personnel, who play a vital role in protecting wildlife and safeguarding the park’s rich biodiversity.
The programme was graced by the Forest Executive Member (EM) of BTC, James Basumatary; MLA of Gossaigaon, Sabharam Basumatary; Chief Head of Division (CHD) of the BTC Forest Department, Dr. Sonali Ghosh; Divisional Forest Officer, Kachugaon, Mustafa Ali Ahmed; Divisional Forest Officer, Haltugaon, P.K. Bhuyan; and Deputy Executive Director of Aaranyak, Dr. Bibhuti Prasad Lahkar.
Around 60 forest officials of Raimona National Park attended the programme, highlighting the importance of collaboration between conservation organisations and the Forest Department in strengthening wildlife protection and park management.
The programme was coordinated by Binita Baruwati of Aaranyak, with support from Ivy Farheen Hussain, Bijeet Baro, Mizing Boro, Gayatri Dutta, Raj Limbu, Birdutta Boro, Dhananjoy Mashahary and Ajoy Basumatary.
Aaranyak aims to enhance the motivation, preparedness, and field capacity of frontline forest personnel and contribute to more effective patrolling and conservation efforts in Raimona National Park through this initiative to support frontline conservation efforts.
Aaranyak acknowledges the continued cooperation and collaboration of the Forest Department in advancing shared conservation goals. (ANI)
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