Wayanad, October 13, 2014: A job protecting humans and elephants from conflict is not one without peril and in a tragic accident while on duty in the Tholpety Range of the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, Section Forest Officer V R Shaji lost two of his fingers while trying to drive away elephants from entering a village. IFAW-WTI has handed over an ex-gratia of 25000 INR to the injured officer as part of their Accidental Insurance Scheme of the Van Rakshak Project (VRP).

Shaji, who is 45 years old, is the sole bread-earner of his family which includes an elderly father, a wife and two children. The Forest Range Officer of Tholpey Range, Rajan, commended the support provided by Wildlife Trust of India saying, “The support has helped Shaji in paying off a part of his medical bills. This sort of a scheme helps build the morale of the staff who sincerely work for wildlife conservation and risk their lives.”

Wildlife Trust of India field officer, Ramith M handing over the cheque of 25000 Rs to Mr. V. R. Shaji, Section forest officer in the presence of M Rajan, RFO and Jayachandran, SFO. Photo: IFAW-WTI

Human-elephant conflict is common in the area given the fragmented habitat , growing human population and a highly dense population of elephants. Constantly attracted by the crops, one herd of elephants have known to become regular raiders. The Forest Department has been trying to do their best and have been extremely effective in keeping the conflict under check especially with the use of crackers. It was during one of these routine patrols that Shaji while trying to drive away a herd was charged at by a tusker , and in the chaos the burnt cracker went off in his hand.

The President of the Eco Development Committee at Tholpety, Mani has commented that Shaji was always proactive in mitigating the wildlife conflict and ensuring people’s participation in the forest management.
“Wildlife Trust of India wholeheartedly supports the Forest Department staff as they venture into the field every day facing numerous risks. The insurance scheme provides financial support in cases of death and injuries. Presently, the scheme could support only the staffs of protected areas. We are now getting requests of support from non-protected forest areas also. Expanding the scheme is crucial for morale boosting of the field staff,” said Dr Krishnendu Mondal, the Project Lead of the Van Rakshak Project.

Through the IFAW-WTI Supplemental Accident Insurance Scheme, which is part of WTI’s Van Rakshak Project, over 20,000 field staff across the country have been covered against death/permanent disability while on duty. The Van Rakshak Project has also trained over 12000 forest staff in more than 130 Protected Areas in over 19 states of India.

A makhna is one of the regular visitors to the crop fields near the Tholpety Range. Photo: IFAW-WTI