A day after a man was killed and another seriously injured by elephants in a village of Uttar Pradesh neighbouring Uttarakhand, one man was seriously injured in a chance encounter with an elephant in an area of Udham Singh Nagar district bordering Uttar Pradesh on Monday.
According to sources, a resident of Shanti Vihar colony in Rudrapur, Sanjay Bhatt was out for a morning walk on Monday. An elephant was standing in the foliage along the road. The chance encounter reportedly irked the elephant which attacked Bhatt and seriously injured him. People passing by who witnessed the incident, took the injured man to a private hospital in Rudrapur where his condition was reported to be serious. The locals also informed the police and forest department about the incident.
It is pertinent to mention here that on Sunday, a man was killed and another injured by a pair of elephants in the Indrapur village of Rampur district of Uttar Pradesh which shares a border with Udham Singh Nagar district of Uttarakhand. The conservator of forests of Uttarakhand’s western circle (Kumaon) Parag Madhukar Dhakate said that information had been received about a man being injured by elephant. A team of the forest department had been dispatched to the site. The department team would attempt to direct the pachyderms towards the jungle.
It is pertinent to mention here that human- elephant conflict has been on the rise in recent years in the Terai region of Uttarakhand. Experts point out that fragmentation of habitat, blocking of traditional wildlife corridors, increased pressure of human population and constructions affecting the wildlife are some of the major causes fueling this human-pachyderm conflict.