Cases of human-wildlife conflict in Mahottari district have increased in the recent years.

Wild animals like elephant, deer, blue bull, wild boar and leopard frequently enter human settlements, mainly in the northern part of the district. Incidents of animal-attack on human beings and poaching of the animals that enter into the settlements are on the rise lately.

On April 11, four people, who were working in a field, were injured when a wild boar attacked them at Pashupatinagar in Bardibas Municipality-9. On the same day, Sikandar Yadav of Baderawa in Gaushala Municipality-10 sustained serious injuries, as he was mauled by a wild boar that had entered into his house.

Conservationists say deforestation, wildlife habitat encroachment and drying water sources land are some of the reasons behind the increasing intrusion of wild animals into human settlements.

Birendra Yadav, the district forest officer, said ignoring the mobility of wild animals while constructing infrastructures like roads, railway tracks and electricity transmission lines has also increased human-wildlife conflict.  

Similarly, cases of wildlife poaching have also gone up with the ever-narrowing proximity between human settlements and wildlife habitats. Hunting and snaring of wild animals for their meat and body parts is growing at an alarming rate in Mahottari.

A few days ago, a wild boar with bullet injuries was found dead at Gaushala-11. It is suspected that the animal was shot dead by poachers.

Last year, police had arrested about a dozen people who had killed a blue bull and consumed its meat. The incident came to light when a video clip of them huntng the animal surfaced on social media. The suspects were released from custody at the pressure of an influential politician, said a police source.

Many people claim that the authorities concerned are not serious about keeping a check on the increasing cases of poaching.

“The provincial government and other authorities are not bothered about the conservation of wild animals. As a result, human-wildlife conflict is taking lives of both humans and animals,” said a conservationist.