Elephant kills three women in western Dooars (State of West Bengal, India)
The Telegraph India
February 17, 2021
See link
https://www.telegraphindia.com/west-bengal/elephant-kills-women-in-western-dooars/cid/1806894
for photo.
Three women who had entered a reserve forest to collect fodder for cattle
and firewood were killed when an elephant attacked them near Banarhat in
western Dooars on Tuesday.
Bhado Oraon, 49, Sugi Baraik, 62, and Birsi Oraon, 55, were residents of
Haldibari tea estate.
The trio were part of a group of women who had entered the Haldibari forest
under the Moraghat range to collect the fodder and the firewood.
“Suddenly, a wild tusker attacked them. Although most members of the group
managed to escape, three women could not run away. The elephant attacked
them with the trunk and trampled them over. All the three died on the
spot,” said a forest officer.
The deceased used to live at the Bora labour line and Mission labour line
in the tea garden.
Foresters and Banarhat police went to the spot and seized the bodies.
In north Bengal, many people who live in tea gardens and villages close to
forest enter the jungle to collect firewood. There are also people who take
cattle to the forests for grazing.
“Many such people have been killed in attacks by wild elephants. A few days
ago, a woman was killed by a wild elephant near Nagrakata after she went to
the forest to collect firewood. Whatever happened today is unfortunate but
others should learn a lesson from the incident and refrain from entering
forests,” said Sima Chowdhury, an honorary wildlife warden of the state
forest department.
Nature and wildlife conservationists said Tuesday’s incident showed the
lack of vigil on the part of the forest department.
“People have lost their lives in elephant attacks. There have also been
incidents of poaching of animals. Today’s incident again proved that the
forest department is not vigilant, else, those women would have been
prevented from stepping into the jungle,” said Nafsar Ali, a representative
of the Nature & Adventure Society based in the Dooars.
https://www.telegraphindia.com/west-bengal/elephant-kills-women-in-western-dooars/cid/1806894