Habitat crisis deepens human-elephant conflict along Lakhimpur's interstate border

North Lakhimpur, Feb 22: A spate of deaths, crop losses and damaged homes along the Assam–Arunachal Pradesh inter-state boundary has once again spotlighted a worsening crisis - the steady erosion of natural habitats of the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus).

In the early hours of February 20, a wild elephant ransacked the house of 45-year-old Maya Karki at Rampur Kachajuli under Laluki Police Station in Lakhimpur district.

Karki, a specially-abled woman, lost her home and her stock of rice after the elephant reportedly descended from the neighbouring hills of Arunachal Pradesh in search of food.

The incident follows another tragedy earlier this month. On February 4, Dharmeswar Das (65) was killed in Balipukhuri village in Dorpang while attempting to drive away a rampaging elephant.

For many villages along the border, such intrusions have become a recurring threat rather than isolated events.

Residents and conservationists attribute the rising conflict to the shrinking and fragmentation of elephant habitats.

The once-continuous forested belt stretching from Dulung–Kakoi–Zoihing–Ronga–Bogolee to Sesa, which served as a natural elephant corridor, has been steadily eroded by encroachment, agricultural expansion, tea plantations and infrastructure projects.

The alleged destruction of reserve forests such as Dirpai and Joypur in Arunachal Pradesh has further disrupted traditional migratory routes.

According to North Lakhimpur-based conservationist Bikul Goswami, elephants historically moved from Poba Reserve Forest in Dhemaji to Ranga Reserve Forest in Lakhimpur, navigating riverine passages along tributaries such as the Subansiri and Ranganadi.

“After monsoon floods receded, they would reach the grass-rich river islands of the Brahmaputra, where tall elephant grass provided crucial feeding grounds,” he says.

However, large-scale deforestation, hill earth extraction, hydroelectric projects and the expansion of roads and commercial establishments have blocked many of these natural corridors.

The Dulung–Subansiri corridor has become particularly fragile due to mounting biotic pressure. Villagers allege that electric fencing along parts of the Arunachal boundary has further diverted elephant movement into Assam’s settlements.

The Phoolbari–Dhemagarh–Bhitoripam belt along the inter-state boundary has emerged as a hotspot of human-elephant conflict in recent years, largely due to rapid habitat degradation.

Public infrastructure has also borne the brunt.

The crisis has taken a toll on elephants as well. Conservationists warn that retaliatory measures, along with poaching and illegal killings, pose serious threats to already fragmented elephant populations.

The Asian elephant is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and is listed as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Despite long-standing recommendations from experts to expand protected areas and restore ecological corridors, villagers allege that concrete action from forest authorities has remained limited.

As fatalities and losses mount on both sides, human and elephant, the situation in Lakhimpur underscores a deeper ecological imbalance.

Without coordinated inter-state planning to secure migration corridors and curb further habitat fragmentation, coexistence in this sensitive border landscape may become increasingly difficult in the years ahead.