Depredations of wild elephants in Kalyanpur, newly harvested crops, banana trees and vegetables destroyed

By Our Correspondent

Kalyanpur, December 11, 2024

The depredations of wild elephants in areas of human habitation in Kalyanpur police station areas continue to pulverize the normal lives of people. Yesterday a night two wild elephants that had descended from Atharomura ranges and eaten up harvested crops, vegetables and banana trees in Chhankhola area of south Ghilatoli in Kalyanpur police station area. The tuskers had stormed the area around 10-00 in the night when most of the people were sound asleep . They woke up to the noise created by two wild elephants but kept quiet as the elephants went back slowly after gobbling up their food. The issue has been reported to the forest department but the officials of the forest department are till now unable to contain the movement and depredations of the elephants.

Sources in the wildlife section of the forest department said that there is an elephant herd in the Atharomura ranges and during winter months they suffer from shortage of natural food and water. This is the reason why they descend to human habitations in the foothills in search of food and water. The officials also cited the stringent provisions of forest and wildlife laws to assert that unless it is absolutely essential in the interest of human life these animals can not be killed . They have to be treated and tackled differently so that they remain in their natural habitats but the farmers living in different areas of Kalyanpur and Chakmaghat under Teliamura subdivision are paying a heavy price for the depredations of elephants.