Man-Elephant conflict causes chaos in Assam’s Demow

Demow, April 6, 2019:

A herd of wild elephants has been trying to enter into the human settlement areas at Dihingmukh Lachan village in Demow in Upper Assam’s Sibsagar district, which has created a sense of fear among the people living in the region.

This has forced the people to undertake day-night vigil on the embankments of the Dihing River. The locals have alleged that the forest department has done taken any steps regarding this matter.

Human population increases and development have reduced and fragmented wildlife habitat. Settlement, cultivation, and developmental activities have dramatically encroached on natural habitat, resulting in severe conflicts between humans and elephants. Between 1980 and 2003, more than 1,150 humans and 370 elephants have died as a result of human-elephant conflicts in North-East India and tensions continue to this day.