Elephant Corridors 2015

Indigenous tribes in India have settled throughout the forests among wild elephants for centuries. Yet, the forests are disappearing rapidly and the elephant’s habitat is shrinking causing both humans and elephants to die at alarming rates. . Elephants migrate large distances foraging for food and water competing for land as villagers clear the land to grow crops, build huts and dig wells, destroying the elephant’s food supply. When the elephant’s natural corridors become fragmented, hungry elephants damage homes, acres of crops and kill local people. Tribal communities retaliate by killing elephants. Elephant Corridors are small forests, which serve as links to national parks and larger forests, where elephants migrate and live safely in the wild. There are currently 88 corridors throughout India. The Elephant Family and the Wildlife Trust of India are helping with the re-growth of the elephant corridors and moving villagers outside of the elephant’s natural migratory path. They are moved to safer and better homes in nearby forests, closer to schools and medical care. Both wildlife and the indigenous tribes throughout India are finding a natural balance.