In order to tackle the issues of human-animal conflicts in the WADI intervention areas of Hindol, Dhenkanal district of Odisha, the Amrita team collaborated with an NGO named Aaranyak. Aaranyak is a leading wildlife NGO based in Guwahati, Assam. It is a Scientific, Industrial Research, and frontline environmental organization in India. It has worked extensively in the eastern Himalayan region on nature conservation, natural resources management, climate change, disaster management, and livelihood enhancement of marginalized communities through research, education, and advocacy.

On this front, Aaranyak team has visited the conflict areas infested with frequent elephant attacks and interacted with the people of our WADI villages who stand to bear the loss of both life and livelihood. Human-Elephant conflict experts from Aaranyak, Dr. Bibhuti Prasad Lahkar, and Mr. Anjan Chandra Baruah visited the WADI areas in the month of June, 2022. Mr Harsha Kuntur, an entrepreneur from the solar industry, Mr. Santhosh from Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Ettimadai Campus visited 6 out of the 7 WADI villages.

During the visit, along with understanding the geography of the area, the Aaranyak team got to understand the history of the human-elephant conflict in this region. They also conducted a solar fencing installation demonstration at Asanabania village, with the active participation of villagers. Off late, we are working closely to install such fencing across all the WADI areas without causing any damage to the elephants and the community at large.