Assam: Kamrup East Villagers Battle Wild Elephant Herd Destroying Crops Amid Prolonged Conflict
Assam: Kamrup East Villagers Battle Wild Elephant Herd Destroying Crops
Amid Prolonged Conflict
Sentinel Assam
July 20, 2024
See link
https://www.sentinelassam.com/cities/guwahati-city/villagers-in-kamrup-east-battle-wild-elephant-herd-destroying-crops-amid-prolonged-conflict
for photo.
PALASBARI: In a significant development, hundreds of villagers in over 15
villages under Rani Forest Range in Kamrup East Forest Division are passing
sleepless nights chasing a herd of around 50 wild elephants, which has been
destroying paddy and other crops, fueling a prolonged man-elephant conflict.
Sources said that over 1200 farmers of the villages, including Joypur,
Nalapara, Bikrampur, Challi, PuranSukurberia, Garopara, Mohmara, Kumarbori,
Belguri, Chokordoi, Moirapur, etc., have been badly affected by a herd of
around 50 wild elephants comprising tuskers, makhanas, makhundis, and
calves who have been coming down from the adjacent Kawasing and Jarasal
Reserve Forests under Rani Forest Range to raid paddy seedlings and
orchards every day, creating panic among the farmers.
"Last night, an elephant herd destroyed my areca nut garden. Paddy seedling
plots of many farmers, including Rajen Rabha, Baneswar Rabha, Prabha Rabha,
and others in my village, have already been wiped out," said Bipul Rabha of
Joypur village, located in the Assam-Meghalaya border.
Jon Rabha of Bikrampur village near here, who is planting paddy seedlings
on his 22 acres of land, is fearful of the elephant herd and praying to God
to save his crops from the herd.
"The herd of elephants came on the very first day of my planting of paddy
seedlings on my first plot. It is not certain whether I could harvest my
paddy or not. Many farmers in my area, including Bhumidhar Hazarika of
Bikrampur, Kiron Nath of Nalapara, Biren Gouretc of Pukhuripar village near
Rani, have already lost their paddy seedlings to the elephant herd," said
Jon Rabha.
Villagers lamented that elephants have been moving from one village to
another every day searching for paddy and other crops and that elephant
raiding on crops will continue till the harvest of the paddy is over.
Villagers said that they have become tired enough after losing their chief
income (from paddy) to the herd of elephants every year and that many
villagers have already abandoned doing paddy in their fertile land, and now
those plots of abandoned land are now becoming grazing ground.
Sources said that paddy crops of over 50 percent of the farmers have been
raided by elephants in the Rani area every year.
Many villagers have set up Tongi Ghar (tree houses located about 5-10
metres above the ground in tree branches) to guard their crops, but now
elephant herds cannot be driven out of crops using the traditional methods
of shouting, fire cracker explosions, fire, torch light rays, etc.
"Now, chasing elephant herds using traditional practices has become a
futile exercise. The elephant herd has now become accustomed to the
traditional methods of chasing them out. Now, they do not get afraid to
torch light rays, fire, crackers, or shout at us. It becomes a very
difficult task to drive out wild elephants from paddy fields and orchard
gardens of banana, areca nut, and jackfruit," said BipulRabha of Joypur
village.