Kathmandu, November 22 -- Chetraj Ghimire, a farmer residing in Phungling Municipality-8 within Taplejung, cultivates a variety of crops and...
Kathmandu, November 22 -- Chetraj Ghimire, a farmer residing in Phungling Municipality-8 within Taplejung, cultivates a variety of crops and fruits such as oranges, litchis, and corn. However, each year, these crops are frequently targeted by wild boars, monkeys, and langurs. This year was no exception. Ghimire mentioned that to seek compensation, they invited Mayor Amir Maden, Deputy Mayor Bhima Devi Ojha, and Ward Chairperson Kshitij Sunuwar to assess the damage. "Officials from the division forest and agriculture office also arrived," Ghimire stated. "But they were unable to do anything."
Frustrated, Ghimire applied for compensation at the Division Forest Office, accompanied by police and ward reports, as well as evidence of land ownership. "All my crops were destroyed," Ghimire said to the Post recently. "I am entitled to compensation."
Nevertheless, obtaining compensation has proven difficult up to now.
Each year, farmers across different areas of Koshi Province suffer damages caused by wildlife—primarily elephants, leopards, bears, wild boars, and monkeys. In some cases, people lose their lives due to conflicts between humans and animals. However, even with these losses, the procedure for obtaining assistance is very lengthy and difficult, causing many affected individuals to abandon their efforts.
Lalit Narayan Yadav, a representative from the Division Forest Office in Taplejung, mentioned that Ghimire's case has been sent to the provincial forest directorate. "As soon as the funds are received, we will notify him to collect it," Yadav stated.
However, the procedure has already lasted almost a week just to collect the required paperwork. "Some forest officials discouraged me, claiming that even if I submitted an application, I would receive no more than ten thousand rupees. They told me there was no need to apply at all," said Ghimire. "I refused to give up—the government must recognize a farmer's struggles."
As per Yadav, Ghimire's application is the sole one the office has gotten during the current fiscal year 2025-26. "In earlier years, we also rarely encountered any applications," he mentioned. Since there isn't a specific budget allocated for this in the district, the provincial directorate combines funds and disperses them according to verified claims. However, Ghimire expresses disappointment, stating that even though he has demonstrated his loss, he is expected to receive only ten thousand rupees—"not even enough to pay for the petrol I used while riding my bike."
Farmers in Jhapa, a Tarai region within the Koshi province, face comparable challenges. Hem Prasad Pokharel from Mechinagar Municipality-4 suffered the loss of two bighas of maize that was nearly ready for harvest due to roaming elephants in 2024. "The elephants crossed the Mechi river and destroyed the crops," he remembered. Pokharel submitted a thorough claim, gathering reports from the local police station, ward office, and the human-elephant conflict management group, but securing any assistance proved difficult.
Initially, I visited the police station, ward office, municipal office, sub-division forest office, and the division forest office," Pokharel mentioned. The lengthy bureaucratic process finally yielded results after 14 months, and he was given a small amount of Rs4,500. "I spent almost two thousand rupees traveling between the offices," he stated. "If I had realized how challenging it would be [to obtain even that sum], I might have just given up.
Other farmers have faced even worse circumstances. In 2021, a wild elephant damaged the homes of Ran Bahadur Dahal and Phool Maya Khadka from Bahundangi, which is likely the most impacted area by wild elephants in Jhapa. Following the completion of necessary paperwork and documentation of the damage, their applications were sent from the ward office to the municipality and then to the Division Forest Office. However, the family has yet to receive any form of assistance.
Although the public keeps expressing dissatisfaction with the challenges regular citizens encounter while filing compensation claims, officials from the Jhapa Division Forest Office state that the procedure becomes complex as applicants are required to provide all documents outlined in the 'Relief Distribution Guidelines for Damage Caused by Wildlife,' issued by the Cabinet.
"The guidelines clearly outline the required documents. Relief cannot be given if these documents are missing," said Bharat Babu Shrestha, a forest officer at the Division Forest Office in Jhapa. "This could be why the process is taking more time." Shrestha mentioned that delays also happen because of limited funding. He noted that relief payments for the fiscal years 2023-24 and 2024-25 were only finalized by the end of July 2025 in the current fiscal year.
Currently, applicants must wait until the next fiscal year to receive funding. As of mid-November in the current fiscal year, the office has already received over 200 applications, including two cases involving deaths caused by wildlife and the remaining ones concerning crop damage, property harm, and injuries.
An 82-year-old man named Ram Kumar Rai from Phalelung Rural Municipality-3 in the Panchthar district was attacked by a bear while sleeping in his animal shed in January 2022. He managed to survive but suffered severe injuries. His family filed complaints initially with the rural municipality, followed by the Division Forest Office, and ultimately with the Department of National Park and Wildlife Conservation.
Dhanaman, the son of Rai, mentioned that he went to forest offices four times to inquire about the case. "We have never received any notice or financial assistance," he stated. "We are tired of waiting. We no longer have a home to receive aid."
Numerous similar events are regularly documented in the rural municipalities of Phalelung, Yangbarak, and Phidim in Panchthar. Creatures such as wild boars, monkeys, bears, jackals, and langurs harm agricultural fields and sometimes confront people.
Due to the complex procedures for claiming compensation, many individuals no longer make the effort to submit claims. According to Chandra Kumar Barma, who is part of the case division at the Panchthar Division Forest Office, there have been zero applications concerning wildlife damage in the last three years. "As previous applications were never addressed by the department or the ministry, victims have stopped submitting new ones," he mentioned.
Wild elephants created chaos in multiple villages within the Morang district last year, leading to the death of five individuals. During the 2024-25 financial year, 62 people were impacted. As per the Morang Division Forest Office, the elephant attacks resulted in both human losses and substantial damage to property. Farmlands, houses, animal shelters, and stored food supplies suffered extensive destruction.
Ram Lakhan Thakur, an information officer at the Morang forest office, mentioned that the government allocated roughly Rs6.5 million in aid that year to address the damages. As per the office records, Rs463,000 was given for crop losses, Rs190,000 for food storage and structural damage, Rs110,000 for damage to homes and sheds, Rs59,889 for combined crop and housing losses, and Rs20,000 for losses of stored grains.
The authorities have announced compensation of Rs 1 million for the families of individuals who lost their lives in wildlife-related incidents, and amounts ranging from Rs200,000 to Rs250,000 for those injured. Following this policy, a total of Rs5 million was given to the families of the five deceased, along with Rs200,000 to one person who was hurt.
The wild elephants are causing issues in the Tarai regions of Jhapa, Sunsari, and Morang, whereas the hill and mountain areas such as Khotang, Panchthar, and Taplejung are experiencing problems with bears, leopards, monkeys, wild boars, and langurs.
What is stated in the relief distribution manual?
The authorities initially launched a policy for providing aid to those impacted by wildlife-related harm in 2012. This policy was updated in 2023, resulting in higher compensation for individuals who suffered losses due to wild animals causing death, injury, damage to livestock, or property destruction.
Previously, the family of someone killed in a wildlife attack was given Rs500,000. With the updated guidelines, this amount has increased to Rs1 million for the family of the deceased. Similarly, individuals who experience permanent disability are eligible for Rs500,000. For serious injuries, medical costs up to Rs200,000 will be covered. If the total treatment cost goes beyond Rs200,000, further assistance for emergency care at the nearest hospital will be provided according to the hospital's recommendation. If the patient receives treatment at a government hospital, all expenses will be fully covered under the guideline.
In case of the death of animals like buffaloes, oxen, high-breed cows, horses, mules, and yaks due to wild animals, the highest compensation has been raised to Rs60,000, according to the evaluation. For damage to homes or sheds, beneficiaries will get up to Rs20,000 based on the evaluated loss.
Parbat Portel from Biratnagar, Ananda Gautam from Taplejung, Nabaraj Subedi from Jhapa, Laxmi Gautam from Panchthar, Elina Rai from Dharan, and Dambar Singh Rai from Khotang contributed to this report.
