Elephant attacks continue to claim lives in Chhattisgarh’s Korba
district as another villager was trampled by a wild jumbo taking the
death toll to six in the region this month.
The local forest authority has sought permission to tranquilise two
‘rogue’ tuskers in order to shift those to another place or kill the
pachyderms if necessary.
“Mukhiram Manjhwar (45) was attacked by the jumbo last night while he
was sleeping in front of his house at Pidiya village under Kartala
forest range,” Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Korba Forest
Division Vivekanand Jha said.
Dori (Mahua fruit) was kept in front of the victim’s house and a
jackfruit tree was also there. Prima facie it appears that pachyderm
was attracted by the smell of Mahua or jackfruit, the DFO said.
So far six villagers, including two women, were killed by three rogue
tuskers at separate places in Kartala and Kudmura forest ranges of
Korba division this month.
An elderly woman, Samudribai Rathiya, was killed on Monday morning
near Charmar village in Kartala forest range when she had gone to pick
Mahua fruits.
“Of the three rogue tuskers, one has now joined its herd while two
others are still venturing alone in the forests.
After monitoring the activities of the elephants for the past few
days, we have become certain that the animals have gone rogue,” Jha
said.
In a letter to Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (wildlife), we
have sought his direction into the matter. Besides, permission has
also been sought to tranquilise the two tuskers and shift them to
other region or kill them if necessary keeping in view the welfare of
people, he said.
“The chances of human-animal conflict increases in this season as
villagers go in the forest to pluck tendu leaves and pick mahua
fruits. After the recent incidents, the villagers have been advised to
take precautions and stay alert,” the DFO said.
Moreover, Van Samiti (forest committees) have been asked to organise
meeting with villagers to discuss the situation and take necessary
precautions, Jha added.
The thickly forested northern Chhattisgarh, comprising Surguja, Korba,
Raigarh, Jashpur and Korea districts, are notorious for incidents of
human-elephant conflict.
The region has witnessed killings of several people and damages to
houses and crops by rogue elephants in the last few years.