Assam: Elephants trample 3 including minor in Goalpara

Pachyderms coming out from the wild trampled 3 people including a minor to death at Goalpara. 

The incident took place at Lakhipur beside state highway 12. In another incident of man-elephant conflict in Goalpara Fresh Nath Sangma and Kanishka Khakhlari have also been killed by angry elephants.

Several others were also injured during the incident. According to locals a large herd of elephants traumatised locals and vandalised many vehicles. The deceased have been identified as Ramani Rabha(29), Jinisa Rabha(15 months), and Jaybor Ali.   

Although forest officials are taking measures to curb the elephant menace the elephants tend to stray into human habitation since agricultural products such as paddy, and sugarcanes attract elephants. 

Scarcity of food and shelter also drives the wild animals to venture into human habitations and the elephants not only damage crops and paddy fields but even attack human beings and destroy houses. 

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Experts believe that survey & demarcation of the boundary of the land of tea gardens will be a viable option to mitigate man-elephant conflicts.
 
“The boundaries of tea gardens on forest lands should be surveyed and demarcated at par with their allocation by the land advisory board concerned. The encroached areas should be made free from the occupation of the owner of the tea gardens,” an environmentalist said.

“Forest cover dwindling is one of the prime reasons behind the pachyderms straying into human habitats which is aided by encroachment on forest land. Many mitigation measures such as the erection of electric fences among others haven’t borne fruit. Now that situation has to come to such a pass that due to the rising human population co-existing is the need of the hour. People residing near forests and tea gardens might have to plant banana plants, paddy etc to satiate their hunger”, another environmentalist said.

India has an elephant population of 27,312 which is 55% of the World's Population. The 13% of which equaling 5,719, exists in Assam.