In November 2018, conservationists working in North Bengal’s Dooars region raised an alarm about a barrier that was increasingly obstructing elephants: razor-sharp fencing around tea estates.
The Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) reported on a series of stakeholder meetings organised by its conservation partner, the Society for Protecting Ophiofauna and Animal Rights (SPOAR), between 11 and 16 November that year. It described how randomly installed razor-blade fencing was forcing elephant herds to divert from their usual routes.
The organisation reported that the sharp wires caused serious injuries to elephants and other wildlife, and that some animals died while attempting to cross the fences.
The report did not identify individual animals or provide a tally of razor-wire injuries. But it highlighted a problem that extended beyond the fences themselves: when elephants could no longer follow familiar routes, their movement could bring them into closer contact with people.
In August 2026, WTI and SPOAR brought tea estate representatives, government agencies and conservation organisations together in Chalsa, Jalpaiguri, to discuss elephant-friendly management. Photograph: (csmonitor)
Seven years later, a reassessment by WTI and SPOAR would offer a measurable indication of how much the landscape had changed. Between 2019 and 2026, the length of razor-wire fencing mapped across the assessed tea-estate landscape fell from approximately 134.7 km to 34.8 km, a reduction of 74.2%.
The change followed years of engagement with tea estate management, local communities and government agencies. It also raised a question: how much safer can an elephant’s journey become when a landscape begins to accommodate its movement?
A corridor is not always a forest
Across North Bengal’s Terai and Duars, elephant movement does not stop at the edge of a forest. Routes run through forest patches, tea plantations, worker settlements, roads and railway lines.
These connections allow elephants to move between habitats in search of food, water and space. But when land is divided by fences, trenches and other obstacles, a familiar passage can become difficult or dangerous to navigate.
For tea estates, fencing may be intended to protect workers, crops and property. Yet barriers placed across elephant movement routes can also redirect herds towards labour lines, roads and settlements, creating risks for people and wildlife alike.
To understand the extent of the problem, WTI and SPOAR conducted a year-long field survey in 2019 across eight identified elephant corridors in North Bengal. The survey documented how elephants used tea estates and identified barriers that could impede their movement.
From a survey to a shared commitment
The findings became the starting point for discussions with those managing the landscape.
On World Elephant Day in August 2019, nearly 50 representatives from tea estates, the Forest Department, tea associations, the administration and conservation organisations gathered for a consultative workshop on securing elephant passage through tea gardens.
The discussions focused on practical measures such as identifying problematic barriers, keeping movement routes open and reducing losses for both people and elephants.
Camera trap footage of a wild #elephant herd crossing the Apalchand-Kalimpong corridor via the Meenglass Tea Estate in North Bengal. These cameras were installed by WTI’s Green Corridor Champion (GCC) partner in the landscape, @SPOAR_India https://t.co/ZF4RgSGE3a
— Wildlife Trust of India (@wti_org_india) November 22, 2024
Some tea estate representatives shared examples of areas being left open for elephants. Others discussed commitments to remove existing razor wire or to avoid installing it in the future.
WTI, SPOAR, the Forest Department and tea estate management continued engaging with the landscape, while awareness initiatives helped workers and residents understand elephant movement and the risks posed by obstructed routes.
What changed between 2019 and 2026?
A reassessment by WTI and SPOAR in 2026 offered a way to measure changes in the fencing landscape.
In 2019, the survey had mapped 291.7 km of fencing across the assessed area. By 2026, the total had fallen to 104.5 km.
The decline in razor-wire fencing was particularly notable in 2026: from 134.7 km to 34.8 km.
However, the figures do not mean that all the missing fencing was deliberately removed. WTI’s account attributes the reduction to a combination of removal, deterioration and fencing not being reinstalled.
Nor do the figures establish how many elephant injuries or human-elephant encounters have been prevented. They measure a change in the physical barriers across the landscape, not a verified reduction in casualties.
Still, the reassessment suggests that estate practices have changed over time, following sustained engagement and discussions about safer elephant movement.
The next danger is overhead
The same reassessment identified another concern: low-hanging electrical infrastructure.
The survey documented 54 power lines below a height of 13 feet, with 47.4% hanging below 10 feet. These were flagged as serious hazards to elephants.
An elephant may be able to move past a fence only to encounter a low electrical line or another obstacle along its route.
The findings are intended to guide joint verification and corrective action involving tea estate management, the Forest Department, the West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (WBSEDCL) and conservation partners.
A charter for coexistence
In August 2026, WTI and SPOAR brought tea estate representatives, government agencies and conservation organisations together in Chalsa, Jalpaiguri, to discuss elephant-friendly management. The consultation introduced the Elephant-Friendly Tea Estate Charter.
The proposed framework focuses on keeping known elephant routes open, reviewing hazardous fencing, improving electrical safety, preparing workers and residents for encounters, managing crowds and strengthening monitoring.
The fall from 134.7 km to 34.8 km of razor-wire fencing is a measurable change. It is not, on its own, proof that elephants are safer.
Establishing that will require continued monitoring of injuries, deaths, movement patterns and encounters with people.
