Mahottari, 8 February: Wild elephants have created havoc in settlements near forests in the northern part of Mahottari. The disturbance of wild elephants has increased in the settlements near forests on both sides of the East-West Highway area for the last three days.
Wild elephants that have entered the settlements in Gaushala and Bardibas Municipality areas of the district in groups have caused havoc. Elephants that enter settlements in groups of three usually cause havoc after midnight, says 85-year-old Dhan Bahadur Syangba of Bardibas-5. This time, for the past week, elephants that have been hiding in the forest area during the day and entering settlements at night have caused more damage in Gaushala than in Bardibas Municipality.
On Thursday night alone, elephants destroyed five to seven cowsheds in Gaushala-8, Dhalkebar. A group of elephants with a herd of cattle, a herd of donkeys and a herd of camels have caused damage by uprooting and destroying crops including sugarcane, banana, cabbage, maize and wheat in more than five settlements of Gaushala-8, which is connected to the plot of the Sagarnath Forest Development Project. Locals have said that a group of wild elephants entered the southern reaches of Sonapeti, Dhungre and Khayarmara of Bardibas-5 in the morning.
Meen Rahapal of Gaushala-8, Dhalkebar, says that elephants mostly enter the settlement after midnight and head to the safe haven of the forest area before 4 am. In the last week (since last Sunday), a group of elephants has destroyed more than 10 bighas of crops in various settlements in his ward, says Bhoj Bahadur Darlami, ward chairman of Gaushala-8.
Although wild elephants have been causing havoc in the settlements of Bardibas and Gaushala every year, the problem has not been resolved. Last winter, elephants destroyed two houses in Patu, Bardibas-3, causing havoc. Before that, the victims have not forgotten that elephants destroyed seven houses in Parsahidhap and Rajbas in Bardibas-3.
This time, an elephant that entered Mahottari from Sarlahi had caused a lot of damage to crops in the neighboring Sarlahi settlement a week ago. Sometimes, elephants that enter Mahottari from Sindhuli have caused trouble as far as the Dhalkebar Shiran settlement in Mithila Municipality of Dhanusha. Five years ago, an elephant is said to have demolished a house in Dhalkebar and dragged a person to death by dragging him with its trunk.
Wildlife experts say that these wild elephants used to walk on their old paths. But later, after the old elephant paths were torn up and houses were built, the elephants’ harassment near such places has increased. Experts say that the paths of elephants are connected to each other by generations. Hemanta Prasad Sah says that now there is a tradition of following this path after the elephants come from their parents and then the path is connected to those who walk with them.
Now that the elephant menace has increased, the forest-related offices and forest security personnel need to take immediate steps to ensure its efficient management, said Ward Chairman of Bardibas-3 Birat Kumar Bista. Meanwhile, Chief of Division Forest Office Mahottari Ajay Kumar Mishra has said that all the sub-division forest offices and forest security patrols under his jurisdiction have been asked to be vigilant and cooperate with the locals in driving away elephants entering the settlements. Mishra said that the nearby Parsa Wildlife Sanctuary will be informed about this.
