Assam: Elephants destroy mustard crop, paddy at Khumtai in Golaghat

Wild elephants continue to terrorize people at Khumtai in Golaghat. On Tuesday as well, a large herd of wild elephants caused extensive damage to the mustard crop of a section of farmers.

The elephants have devastated the farming community in several villages causing extensive damage to the agricultural land of farmers, especially in the region. 

The herd crossed the Dhansiri river and entered the rural area and caused extensive damage to the paddy, mustard, pumpkin crop etc. of the farming community in several villages like Khumtai, Bogoriyoni, Haldhibari, Mithaam Chapori, Letekuchapori etc.
 
Farmers in the agrarian region could not succeed in cultivating paddy due to the wild elephant scare. 
 
Villagers said that they have had to spend the awakening nights due to the wild elephant menace. They have appealed to the government and the forest department to take special steps to provide relief to the people from elephant menace.

It is to be noted that due to the terror of wild elephants people resort to poisoning of the pachyderms. Instances of electrocution of elephants also came to light in the past years. Electric fences in some areas guard paddy fields and tea cultivation.
 
Destruction of vegetation cover, encroachment and population explosion are some of the factors, environmentalists believe, that have troubled elephants for years now. 
 
“Illicit felling of trees by human beings and trespassing of both men and their pets (cattle) in the forests cause damage to the natural abodes of wild animals which results in the declination of available food of the animals. Wild animals get compelled to come out to human inhabitants in search of the same,” an environmentalist said.
  
Many also believe that encroachment taking place in various forms is one of the major factors due to which the land areas of natural habitats are getting dwindled day by day resulting in a reduction of required food for wild animals for which the wild animals come out of the natural habitats to the nearby human habitats in search of food and ultimately the man-animal conflicts take place.  

“Due to population explosion, people living nearby the natural habitats, for want of accommodation in their original places, occupy forest land and construct dwelling houses by destructing animal homes, particularly the elephant corridors,” The environmentalist further said.

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