On average in India, one person dies every day due to attacks by elephants and tigers. The reason is that human beings encroach on an increasing proportion of the animals’ territory.
According to the country’s environmental department, 1,144 people were killed in attacks by elephants and tigers in the period between April 2014, to May 2017. Elephant attacks were the cause of 1,052 deaths, and tigers were the cause of 92 deaths.
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As a result of urbanisation, India has lost large areas of forest in recent decades, which forces the animals into areas where people live. Most of the fatal elephant attacks have taken place in areas inhabited by elephants for centuries, but these ares are now occupied by human beings.
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India’s Department of Environment stated that 345 tigers, and 84 elephants, were killed during the period between April 2014 and May 2017, mainly due to poaching.
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India is home to nearly 30,000 elephants, and approximately 2,200 tigers, according to the latest official statistics released in 2014.
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© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today
