The Save Elephant Foundation Trust celebrated its sixth foundation day by organising a State-level workshop on elephant conservation here on Wednesday under the chairmanship of its head Dr Rajani Kanta Jena.

Additional PCCF (Central), Eastern Region, Rajendra Kumar Dey, former PCCF Priyanath Padhi, trust advisor Brahmakumari Leena, trustee Jitasatru Mohanty and Orissa Environmental Society president Dr Sundara Narayan Patro attended as guests.

Dey said that people bear the moral responsibility to save the world’s biggest herbivorous animal from being endangered. He also laid stress on the human-elephant conflicts, which has now been a matter of concern.  

While Padhi said that it is a matter of concern that forests are being destroyed for setting up different industries for the development of the State and, thus, elephants and other animals are straying into human habitations in search of food and water.

A report said that that due to the human-elephant conflicts about 70 elephants and 70 people die every year in Odisha. It may lead to endangering of elephants from the State in some time, he said.

Sharing her experience, Brahmakumari Leena said that people should be made aware not to tease animals and be aggressive attitude towards elephants as they respond to the vibrations created by people very well.

As lack of spirituality in the main problems among the humans and if it is clean every problem in the society can be solved, Leena added.

Dr Patro said that awareness should be created among the villagers through distributing written materials and leaflets in the regional languages to save elephants.

On the occasion, two technical sessions were held on themes ‘Human-Elephant Conflict’ and ‘Elephant Habitat Development’ in which Satkosia Tiger Reserve Additional PCCF Dr Sudarsan Panda, eminent wildlife expert Dr Lala Aswini Kumar Singh, different Forest Divisions DFOs, former DFO Krushna Chandra Mishra and NISER research scholar Medha Nayak participated.