Jorhat, Nov. 14: The fate of a herd of 30 elephants, chased out of its habitat in Upper Assam, has become a major source of worry for the forest department.

“If the herd does not find a suitable home soon, all its members will perish one by one,” said a senior forest official here today.

Last night, a female member of the herd was electrocuted near Kokilamukh on the bank of the Brahmaputra here while two calves were washed away by the river last year. Unofficially, the toll may be higher.

The herd, which reportedly entered Majuli from the North Bank of the Brahmaputra in 1999, has since then been scuttling between the island, Panidihing in Sivasagar and Dibrugarh along the Brahmaputra in search of a suitable home.

“The islanders chased away the herd after it caused massive destruction to cultivation land and houses. The same thing happened in Sivasagar and Dibrugarh,” the official said.

The official said the densely-populated human habitat prevented the elephants from crossing over to the reserve forest areas.

“If the trend continues, there is no future for the elephants. With several calves in the herd, it is really vulnerable,” he said.

When contacted, assistant conservator of forests Gunin Saikia said, “In the present situation, there is no doubt that the herd is facing some kind of threat,” he said.

Saikia said after yesterday’s incident, the herd has moved on towards Panidihing. He added that though the herd had started towards the Gibbon Sanctuary last night, it was driven back.

He said the only way to save the herd was to guide it towards the Dibru-Choukhowa national park in Upper Assam where it would find a safe home. “The Gibbon sanctuary is too small for the herd,” he said.

The official said the forest department was trying to chalk out a way to drive the herd toward the national park.

“This requires proper planning. First, a couple of trained elephants will have to make the route and the herd will have to be made to follow it. Another group of trained elephant will follow the herd so as to make sure that it moves along the right track,” the official said.

Saikia added that the plan would be cost-effective and would require time. However, as the herd would have to cross human habitation in places, it could cause damage to property. But this was the only way to save the animals, he added.