Gadkari Hails KVIC’s Innovative Project RE-HAB, Project to be Replicated in All Elephant-affected States

Speed Post News Network

New Delhi : Union Road Transport & Highways and of MSME Minister Nitin Gadkari has hailed Khadi and Village Industries Commission’s (KVIC) innovative Project RE-HAB, which has significantly reduced elephants’ presence at four places in Karnataka’s Kodagu district.

Gadkari said the project has yielded very encouraging results in preventing elephants’ movement into human territories in Kodagu. He said Project RE-HAB has huge potential and it will soon be replicated in all states affected by elephant attacks like West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala. He also emphasised on participation of the Ministries of Agriculture and Environment and Forest for effective implementation of the project across the country, according to a PIB release.

Project RE-HAB (Reducing Elephant – Human Attacks using Bees) was launched by KVIC Chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena in March , 2021, at four locations on the periphery of Nagarhole National Park in Kodagu district of Karnataka. It is a unique, cost-effective way of preventing elephant – human conflicts without causing any harm to both, the animals and the humans. Under this project, bee boxes are used as a fence to prevent elephants from entering human habitation, thus reducing loss of lives and property.Elephants fear that the honey bees might sting them in their eyes and the inner side of the trunk. Also, the buzz of the bees irritates the elephants the most.

Bee fences have reduced the movement of elephants at these points to a great extent. Night vision cameras installed at these locations have captured amazing footage of elephants’ behaviour on seeing bee boxes. A number of elephants are seen returning to the jungles fearing honey bees. Also, no destruction of crops or property by elephants has been reported in these areas since the bee boxes have been placed on the passageways of elephants.

KVIC Chairman Saxena said implementing Project RE-HAB in other states will save hundreds of human and elephant lives. He said, “KVIC is set to replicate the project in other states, too, where a large tribal and rural population is living under the constant threat of wild elephants. Project RE-HAB will have multi-pronged benefitslike reducing human-elephant conflicts, increasing farmers’ income through beekeeping, addressing climate change, and regenerating forest cover”.

States like West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala are major elephant – human conflict zones where KVIC is planning to implement Project RE-HAB in a phased manner. Approximately 2,400 people have been killed in conflicts with wild elephants across the country since 2015.

KVIC Chairman said that through this project, the locals residing in these areas will be trained in beekeeping and provided bee boxes which will be used to ward off the wild elephants.

State wise Death of Humans (2014-15 to 2018-19)