Bokakhat (Assam): Chilli-bombs and firecrackers — these are the simple but effective weapons that wildlife activists are encouraging people to use to chase away marauding elephants in villages near here. The aim is to ward off man-animal conflict situations as far as possible.
Bokakhat town in Golaghat district is about 10 km from the famous Kaziranga national park in northeast India. Villages that fall on the Rajabari-Lokhowjan-Borsapori region near here have been witnessing elephant raids for the past several months.
As a result, anger against the pachyderms is on the rise.
"Almost everyday elephants come and destroy our paddy crops and homes. We have no other alternative left but to retaliate," said a villager in Borsapori.
Dilip Deori of the NGO Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) said: "The situation is very alarming as the villagers are in a retaliatory mood. Two days ago, they seriously injured an elephant that had come to raid their paddy crops.
"Villagers hurl sharp iron spears, with the tip melted red-hot in fire, at the pachyderms. Local people call it the 'shel'.
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