Charging elephant
© GettyCharging elephant
The total number of human deaths in attacks by wild animals during 2012-2015 was 166, including 133 deaths by elephants, according to Comptroller and Auditor General of India report on Economic Sector for the year ended March 2015.

"In recent years, unrestricted biotic influences in wildlife habitats had created disastrous consequences on human life due to attack by wild animals," the report said.

The CAG also noted that the consolidated details of cases of human injury, damage to property and crops, death of livestock based on their occurrences were not maintained. However, data based on compensation payments made to victims, the details of loss of life and property was available, it said. The report noted that remaining deaths were attributed to animals like tiger, leopard, wild boar, wild gaur etc, adding that the loss human lives due to other animals during 2012-15 had increased from 5 to 15.

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As many as 24 deaths were reported due to attack by elephants and nine due to other animals from April 2015 to September 2015, according to the data. Despite an increase in number of deaths due to other animals, the Forest Department neither proposed nor formulated any mitigation measures, the CAG said.

The data also showed that incidents of human injury increased sharply to 128 from 60 in 2012-13, while there was increase in cases of crop damage, property damage, loss of livestock during 2014-15. The CAG report said that the government admitted that despite implementation of various measures, the conflict could not be controlled due to various reasons, including shortage of frontline staff. The re port also said about 361 cases of compensation claims were pending as on March 2015 and the reasons cited for pendency were delay in receipt of supporting documents like death certificate, legal heir certificate and non-availability of funds. Out of 361 cases, 209 cases or 58 per cent were pending in Dharmapuri Circle alone.