Jumbos trample two in Goalpara

Goalpara: Two persons were killed in attacks by wild elephants in Goalpara district on Friday.

Satish Rabha was trampled by a wild elephant at Ambuk Bahbari village under Dhupdhara police station in the district early on Friday after he came in front of a herd of 25 to 30 jumbos that was on its way to forests in south Kamrup.

In another incident, Manoj Hajong lost his life when he and his brother Vidyadhar tried to stop a wild elephant from devouring their harvest in a village under Rongjuli forest range.

However, Vidyadhar managed to escape.

Villagers said the jumbo has attacked and killed several people in the past but the forest department had not taken any step to control the animal.

Rongjuli forest range officer B. Das visited both sites and announced Rs 5,000 each to the families of the victims to carry out their last rites.

"We have taken different measures to send back the elephant to the hills in Meghalaya but it is so big and restless that we have been unable to bring it under control even by using two domesticated jumbos," Das said.


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Elephants damage houses in Rairangpur

A herd of jumbos, which has strayed into human settlements in Rairangpur, has instilled fear in the residents giving them sleepless nights.

The residents of Gorumahisani and Bijatola blocks under Rairangpur wildlife division are encountering the threat since three days. The local residents and the wildlife department officials are trying to drive the animals out of their areas, but till now they have failed to contain the menace.

The elephants have damaged at least 16 houses and a school building besides devouring grains, banana trees, vegetables and pulses in Chhatramandal Kero village under Gorumahisani block. The herd damaged four houses on Saturday night and 12 houses were damaged in Kaduani and Kehjuri villages under Bijatola block. Besides they allegedly devoured stored rice for midday meal and ransacked the furniture of the Khejuri School barging into the campus.

The villagers are guarding their boundaries and burning firewood to scare the elephants to protect their life and property. The herd consists of two tuskers, nine female elephants and calves.

"Depredation squads, consisting of forest staff and protection personnel, have been engaged to drive the animals out. Traditional methods, including beating drums, bursting crackers and rotating fireballs will be used for the purpose. On Saturday, they damaged houses in Bijatola and on Sunday they reached Khejuri forest," he said.

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