A herd of wild elephants from Amsung reserve forest roams in a paddy field in search of food, in Hajong Bori village, about 35 km east of Guwahati

Guwahati, June 27: A war over land has just been declared in Numaligarh.

“General” Diganta Borbora barks orders to his men and keeps an eye on his “territory”. The enemy is unpredictable and can attack from any side.

To add to Borbora’s woes, even bullets have failed to deter his foes — herds of elephants in this case — which have been destroying houses, crops and killing people in search of food.

“I am really like a general at war now... my soldiers are out there in the fields trying to keep the elephants at bay,” said Borbora, the divisional forest officer of Golaghat.

The hungry herds trampled two persons to death at Hautoli tea estate and Butolikhowa in the past two days.

While Dhaniram Karmakar’s old legs could not carry him fast enough, Jagu Tanti fell before the herd in an inebriated state, unable to move even an inch.

Now, the entire forest department is busy keeping the 40 elephants away from human habitation. “We are working round-the-clock with our limited resources but unfortunately we are fighting a losing battle,” said Borbora.

Herds of elephants, which have made the Nambar-Doigrung sanctuary and the Karbi Anglong hills their home, have killed over 76 people since 1996 and damaged hundreds of houses.

The herds, the forest official said, take different routes each time to enter villages, making the job even more difficult for forest guards.

“The elephants move fast and by the time we take up position, the elephants are done with their rampage,” said Borbora.

The forest department has been using crackers and gun-shots to frighten the herds but the elephants, of late, seem to have become used to such sounds.

“The elephants disappear for a while, only to return after some time,” Borbora said.

The forest department has also been distributing kerosene among the villagers so that they keep lanterns burning through the night to keep elephants away.

But Borbora sees no permanent solution to the increasing man-elephant conflicts in this belt.

The drastic decrease in forest cover has led to elephants straying into human habitation.

According to estimates, the forest cover in Golaghat district has reduced from 1,400 hectares to 800 hectares over the past two decades.

Honorary wildlife warden Arup Ballav Goswami has made a case for elephants. The pachyderm cannot be blamed for increasing man-elephant conflict, he said. “Where will the elephants go? We have taken their land.”