This is S P Pandey (47), a primary school teacher from Malbazar in Jalpaiguri district, who has spent over a decade safeguarding the rights of wild animals through his initiative, SPOAR (Society for Protecting Ophiofauna and Animal Rights).
His sensitisation workshops have reached five elephant corridors — Apalchand-Mahananda, Gorumara-Apalchand, Apalchand-Kalimpong (via Sylee TG), Apalchand-Kalimpong (via Meenglass TG) and Chapramari-Kalimpong.
The Terai (along the Nepal-Indian border) and Duars regions (in West Bengal) form a natural habitat for the elephants and a passageway to migrate to Nepal and Bhutan.
As the elephants move around, farmers and owners install barbed wires or, worse, electric fences, which are fatal.
When humans are not compensated fairly for the damage, they become more intolerant. It is a never-ending and vicious cycle.
Then, there is the issue of alcohol addiction. Intoxicated men end up disturbing the elephants; they also leave large quantities of homemade liquor in fields or homes, which elephants consume and then become aggressive.
One of the first problems that Pandey tackled was alcohol addiction, urging families through awareness programmes to stop brewing liquor.
Through mobilisation, Pandey also helped villagers construct toilets through the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan scheme.
Every year, Pandey says he reaches at least 3,000 villagers to conduct such awareness programmes.
Next, he approached more than 25 tea state owners and requested them to replace electrical fencing with natural fencing like wood, bamboo, or bushes.
One of the most effective solutions is the network of 44 Quick Response Teams (QRT), Pandey says, which cover the entire northern elephant corridor belt.
The effort sees volunteers trained by WTI (Wildlife Trust of India) and the forest department mitigating HECs (Human-Elephant Conflict).
The model is successful because: – When herds pass through, volunteers alert the villagers in advance. – They keep barriers to prevent humans from coming in their way. – They help in taking injured animals and humans to the nearest hospital.
“Since farm labourers work on daily wages, any attack can hamper their income. We give them monetary help, ration and even take care of their children,” Pandey adds.
In 2018, Pandey was recognised as a Green Corridor Champion by the Wildlife Trust of India.