In search of water and food, a herd of rampaging elephants again rushed into Kasmar and Jaridih hilly and forestry area of Bokaro district. The phenomenon has put local villagers at threat.
Notably, shrinking habitats has already forced elephants to raid farmlands. Villagers have been encroaching upon forest land to build homes that has increased the man-animal conflict in Jharkhand.
Amid fear people residing mostly in those areas are forced to spend sleepless nights. The terror of the herds of elephants still continued in Kasmar and Jaridih villages since past 15 days. Rowdy tuskers destroyed crops and fields, ransacked several houses in those villages.
The terror of an elephant, separated for its herd still continued in the villages under Bhaski Panchyat. The herd entered in Jharkhand from Roria Forest of Purulia district in West Bengal, forest official said.
Elephants used to enter into these regions of Jharkhand from the Roriya forest the border area of Purilia and Jharkhand. The regions of Kasmar, Jaridih, Peterwar, Gola and Ramghar also known as the ‘elephant corridor’— the migration root of the elephants in Bokaro district.
“We are keeping strict vigil on their move, monitoring is now on to minimize their terror, said Kumar Manish Arvind District Forest Office Bokaro. He urges the villagers not to disturbed the elephants, ‘otherwise they become more violent’,” Kumar said.
The shrinking forest and dried-up water resources forced elephants to raid the farmlands as well as villages. In search of water and food herd migrated form Purulia to Bokaro and Ranghar district in Jharkhand, forest official said.
Though, the wild elephant also moves in search of country liquor made-up from Mahua. Getting the Mahua’a scent they moves in search of it and after consuming they becomes more violent; started damaging standing crops, vegetables and even huts of poor villagers living near the jungle area”, a forest official said. Notably, rampage elephants killed more than 1100 lives in Jharkhand in the past years; about 70 to 100 people were trampled to death every year in Jharkhand by elephants.