Cattle grazing has left little space for elephants, so they move to villages in search of food

Ranchi, April 10: The recent attacks on villagers by wild animals have made the forest and wildlife department to decide upon two kunki (domesticated) elephants from Assam, who are expected to help trap wild elephants.

Principal chief conservator of forests J.L. Srivastava said kunki is a local term which means domesticating.

?These kunki elephants can move at a similar pace with their wild counterparts. We are trying to trap the wild elephants to ensure safety for the villagers,? he said.

There will be a trainer-cum-mahout and other men to trap the wild elephants.

?The kunki elephants have played a big role in successfully trapping many wild elephants in several parts of the country. We are hoping it would work here too,? said Srivastava.

According to forest officials, the mindless felling of trees in forests for firewood has resulted in less moving ground for the elephants.

The Bero area is sensitive and is often attacked by the elephants.

?The entire Bero area has more than 2 lakh cattle grazing in the forests, which hardens the grass. It is difficult for the elephants to eat hardened grass and so they move into the villages in the hope of finding softer grass,? said a forest official.

Srivastava added, ?There is the Poreyahat, Indravan and the Gwendi jungles surrounding the Bero area. The elephants can travel up to 150-km everyday. So Bero has always been a target for the people who come for the tusks,? he added.

According to sources, earlier, the authorities were talking about building a trench in the elephant dominated areas to stop them from entering the villages.

Authorities were also trying to decide upon constructing concrete grain houses so that the elephants could not break them.

?Alternate farming was yet another plan. Villagers were asked to grow ginger and stay away from the Mahua crop. But none of these methods have been successful so far,? said a source.

Srivastava said among the areas worst effected by elephants, are Bundu and Tamar.

?These areas are surrounded by forests. But cattle grazing has left very little space for the elephants and they are moving to the villages in search of food. It is a wrong concept that they move to the villages to attack us,? said Srivastava.

January saw as many as seven elephant attacks in the Bero block. ?The conditions of Bundu and Tamar is also not good and a few people have been killed too,? he added.