Assam: Kamrup East Villagers Battle Wild Elephant Herd Destroying Crops Amid Prolonged Conflict

PALASBARI: In a significant development, hundreds of villagers in over 15 villages under Rani Forest Range in Kamrup East Forest Division are passing sleepless nights chasing a herd of around 50 wild elephants, which has been destroying paddy and other crops, fueling a prolonged man-elephant conflict.

Sources said that over 1200 farmers of the villages, including Joypur, Nalapara, Bikrampur, Challi, PuranSukurberia, Garopara, Mohmara, Kumarbori, Belguri, Chokordoi, Moirapur, etc., have been badly affected by a herd of around 50 wild elephants comprising tuskers, makhanas, makhundis, and calves who have been coming down from the adjacent Kawasing and Jarasal Reserve Forests under Rani Forest Range to raid paddy seedlings and orchards every day, creating panic among the farmers.

"Last night, an elephant herd destroyed my areca nut garden. Paddy seedling plots of many farmers, including Rajen Rabha, Baneswar Rabha, Prabha Rabha, and others in my village, have already been wiped out," said Bipul Rabha of Joypur village, located in the Assam-Meghalaya border.

 Jon Rabha of Bikrampur village near here, who is planting paddy seedlings on his 22 acres of land, is fearful of the elephant herd and praying to God to save his crops from the herd.

"The herd of elephants came on the very first day of my planting of paddy seedlings on my first plot. It is not certain whether I could harvest my paddy or not. Many farmers in my area, including Bhumidhar Hazarika of Bikrampur, Kiron Nath of Nalapara, Biren Gouretc of Pukhuripar village near Rani, have already lost their paddy seedlings to the elephant herd," said Jon Rabha.

Villagers lamented that elephants have been moving from one village to another every day searching for paddy and other crops and that elephant raiding on crops will continue till the harvest of the paddy is over.

Villagers said that they have become tired enough after losing their chief income (from paddy) to the herd of elephants every year and that many villagers have already abandoned doing paddy in their fertile land, and now those plots of abandoned land are now becoming grazing ground.

Sources said that paddy crops of over 50 percent of the farmers have been raided by elephants in the Rani area every year.

Many villagers have set up Tongi Ghar (tree houses located about 5-10 metres above the ground in tree branches) to guard their crops, but now elephant herds cannot be driven out of crops using the traditional methods of shouting, fire cracker explosions, fire, torch light rays, etc.

"Now, chasing elephant herds using traditional practices has become a futile exercise. The elephant herd has now become accustomed to the traditional methods of chasing them out. Now, they do not get afraid to torch light rays, fire, crackers, or shout at us. It becomes a very difficult task to drive out wild elephants from paddy fields and orchard gardens of banana, areca nut, and jackfruit," said BipulRabha of Joypur village.    

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