SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
SILCHAR: Rural and tea tribe people living around Patharia Hill ranges in Karimganj district who have to spend sleepless nights and face damages to their crops and houses often will now be at ease as the herd of five elephants, all female, have moved to Bangladesh in search of food and fodder. According to informed sources, the elephants have taken shelter at Champabari forests of Juri sub division of Bangladesh close to Indian border. The jumbos have made their way through the well known Patharia-Champabari elephant corridor.
In fact, the herd had in all seven jumbos. Two of them including the only male elephant in the herd died, one by electrocution and the other by lack of food and exhaustion. The surviving five too face uncertain future due to man-animal friction and systematic shrinkage of their habitat. Moreover, the absence of male partner has virtually ruled out any growth of the pachyderm family. They stay mostly around tea gardens near Bangladesh border for a few days and then retreat.
A plausible cause behind it is that Aus variety paddy crops on agricultural fields down the hills have not yet been cultivated due to drought like situation and the reserve forests for name sake are denuded of its greenery. The lack of food has again pushed them back to Bangladesh. The herd left on last Monday. Once the Aus cops are sown and become ripe by winter, the farmers say they might come back.
Significant to note, the pachyderms, as observed after their return to this side of the border, generally move around the tea gardens of Pathnee, Sonakhira, Lalkhira, Sipanjuri, Kukital, Chandkhira, Hatikhira, Bisnumber and Durganagar and wait for the crops to mature.
They often turn into marauders, creating panic among people. They also come down on National Highway 6 connecting the valley with Meghalaya and Tripura. According to naturalists, these restless female elephants need the companion of a male partner which can be bought from any forests of Brahmaputra Valley. Besides, their only habitat in Barak Valley, Patharia Hills, has to be protected and forests created to make them safe.
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