Tea Estates in North Bengal Remove Most Razor Wire From Elephant Routes
In short
- Mapped razor-wire fencing fell from about 134.7 km in 2019 to 34.8 km in 2026, a 74.2% reduction.
- WTI and SPOAR surveyed eight elephant corridors in North Bengal during a year-long field study in 2019.
- Tea estate managers, government agencies and conservation groups have met since 2019 to plan elephant-friendly management.
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Razor-wire fencing had been injuring elephants and other wildlife, and blocking herds from routes they use for food and water. Diverted herds could also move closer to labour lines and roads. The reassessment shows the mapped fencing length dropped sharply after years of work with estates and communities.
From The Better India
In November 2018, conservationists working in North Bengal's Dooars region raised an alarm about a barrier that was increasingly obstructing elephants: razor-sharp fencing around tea estates. The Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) reported on a series of stakeholder meetings organised by its conservation partner, the Society for Protecting Ophiofauna and Animal Rights (SPOAR), between 11 and 16 November that year. It described how randomly installed razor-blade fencing was forcing elephant herds to divert from their usual routes. The organisation reported that the sharp wires caused serious...
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For kids
Elephants walk a lot to find food and water. In North Bengal, people took down many sharp wires that were in the way. Now the elephants can take their old paths more safely. What would you want a wild animal to be able to do freely?
