Human-elephant conflict affected villagers from Baksa, Tamulpur trained to administer first aid

Guwahati, May 8: Sixty-four villagers, including 28 women affected by human-elephant conflict (HEC) in Baksa and Tamulpur districts of Assam, have been provided training on the administration of first aid in two comprehensive workshops facilitated by premier biodiversity conservation organisation Aaranyak.

The training workshops were conducted in HEC-affected Madhupur of Baksa and Sonmoni of Tamulpur on May 2 and 3 as part of Aaranyak’s relentless effort to facilitate human elephant coexistence in the state.

As part of the training, local indigenous residents were taught these lifesaving skills and were prepared to deal with medical emergencies in the event of accidents related to the HEC.

These capacity-building workshops are part of promoting human elephant coexistence by Aaranyak with support from the SBI Foundation. A total of 28 women and 36 men actively participated in these sessions, highlighting the community's enthusiastic response and commitment to building resilience.

“These workshops were particularly crucial due to the remote nature of these villages, which often lack access to medical facilities, emergency services and are also prone to negative human-elephant interactions,” a press statement issued by Aaranyak reads.

By imparting practical first aid skills, the workshops also aimed to minimise the impact of such incidents and enhance the safety of local residents while promoting coexistence between elephants and communities.

The success of these workshops was possible because of Aaranyak's collaboration with the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) in Baksa.

The event was facilitated by dedicated AAPDA Mitras from DDMA, including Dalim Kalita, Nabajyoti Talukdar, Ritupan Kalita, and Sunjil Daimary, along with Aaranyak's Abhijit Saikia, Jiban Chetry, Jauga Basumatary, and Pradip Barman.

Training on providing first aid in human-elephant conflict areas enhances community resilience, facilitates their wellbeing, reduces fear, and fosters empathy, thereby promoting coexistence by empowering locals to respond effectively and compassionately to elephant encounters.