Part I: The Nepali Elephants

Elephants are divine for their religious importance in Hinduism. Elephants have been domesticated since 6,000 BCE in South Asia. 

Elephants were seen as the ride of the king and were seen as a powerful war weapon. In Kathmandu, there are elephants decorated as guardians outside the temple such as seen in Nyatapole, Bhaktapur. 

In 2022, the total population of wild elephants was calculated to be 400 which repeats the story of Nepal’s success in the growth of the wildlife population leading to human-animal conflict. 

There can be a documentary of such wildlife attacks or ideas for films. In one case, Dhubre a rogue elephant attacked rhinos as well as other elephants. 

In July 2020, a herd of 11 wild elephants caused havoc in the southern settlement of Barahkhestra Municipality, damaging crops the locals have been urging the local government to control elephants and provide compensation.

In another place, it was found when a family brews alcohol the elephant would break into the house to ingest alcoholic beverages- elephants are known to love alcohol.

In December 2020, Sunsari District Administration Office considered putting down the wild elephant which has killed at least 18 people and damaged properties. Wildlife conservatives say there are other ways to tame elephants. The animal was aggressive and walking due to a mating urge. The elephant is a protected animal and can’t be killed as per the law. 

There has also been an app- Hatti ayo in which whenever someone detects elephant movement, they punch the info into the app and notify the officer who then blows the siren. But such measurement hasn’t stopped the loss of lives and properties. 

The government bore all treatment expenses and made a provision of providing Rs.10,000-Rs.30,000 to compensate the family if an elephant destroyed houses, or damaged crops, and food grains but the victim has to file application within 35 days to get compensation A total of 11.072 million was provided to 485 people including families of six deceased in the fiscal year 2021/22.

In March 2023, a 14-year-old male elephant called Yamaraj killed five people over six months.  The locals are afraid that Yamaraj may stay in the area permanently. The authority also severed off both of its tusks hoping to make it peaceful but it did not work. The conservationists had a tough time protecting tamed elephants. It is clear that in a couple of years, the wild elephant continue to become a greater menace. 

The option of taming and keeping elephants as pets has also been difficult as the organization People for Ethical Treatment of Animals lobbies while the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora bans the international trade of animal body parts such as elephant tusk. 

In Nepal, the story of smuggling has additional layers of complexity as it's a popular tradition to own elephants. 

This is a story that will be covered in Part II: The Nepali Elephants