On the rampage

Jan 7: It is an odd dilemma for forest officials of the district — torn as they are between the need to save human life and crops from marauding elephants and risking a decline in pachyderm population, as herds of them flee into neighbouring Bangladesh when chased away from the border district.

The dilemma only deepens every winter.

As the aroma of sali crops fills the air, hundreds of elephants materialise in the Barak Valley region from the neighbouring forest and even Bangladesh, to feast on the ripe grains.

After a hearty meal, the “mobs” usually target human dwellings — leaving behind a trail of destruction.

This season alone, there have been at least a dozen cases of the animals running amok in the district’s Patherkandi block. As the villagers and the district administration spend sleepless nights guarding crops and property, the elephants continue to make the most of the mellow fruitfulness.

Pathini tea estate, Longai, Veterbund and Adamtilla, for instance, seem to be their favourite haunts.

In the past 10 years at least eight villagers were trampled to death by the elephants. Fortunately, the “mob”, has spared the villagers this time.

According to a conservative estimate, property and crop worth Rs 25 lakh had already been destroyed by the herd of elephants raising fear about a possible human-elephant conflict in the border district.

Denudation of their habitats forces these elephants to emerge from Patharia forests in Patherkandi block every now and then.

The Karimganj forest department, has of course, taken a slew of steps to save the villagers and crop.

Divisional forest officer, Karimganj, Salman Uddin Choudhury said that a task force had been formed in the district to tackle the jumbo menace.

Defence force workers are also being inducted into the team to step up night patrol at vulnerable pockets to keep tabs on movement of elephants.

But “chasing away” tactic has raised concern in the forest department.

Chasing away the elephants to Bangladesh will lead to loss of country’s wildlife resource, said Choudhury.

So, the department is now considering erecting barbed-wire fence along the Indo-Bangladesh border within the next two years to arrest “infiltration” of elephants from the neighbouring country.

The forest authorities are also planning to install solar electric batteries on the fence to keep the elephant herds from the Dhohalia forest range in Bangladesh at bay.

Volunteer squads will be formed to patrol the elephant corridors and specially-trained elephants known as kunkis will be deployed to drive away the wild tuskers.

But the most domestic tactic seems to be applying “chilli bombs” — pepper mixed with engine oil —on the fences keep herds on the either sides of the border from straying into foreign territory.