ITAHARI, Sep 1: In fiscal year 2013-14, four locals in various eastern districts lost their lives in separate incidents of attack by marauding elephants. This is a problem that has remained uncontrolled for years now.
As per records with the Eastern Regional Police Office, two tusker-related deaths each occurred in Jhapa and Morang districts. Besides, six locals were also seriously injured in the attacks.
In fiscal year 2012-13, nine people had lost their lives in similar attacks and 11 others were injured. In total, tusker attacks have claimed 22 lives in five eastern districts. The attacks have been concentrated in eastern Jhapa, Morang, Saptari, Udayapur and Sunsari.
Locals coming under attack by wild tuskers and houses getting trashed by the beasts is nothing new in the affected districts.
Just last Sunday, 88-year-old Rammaya lost her life when an agitated tusker barged into her house and demolished everything in sight. Rammaya was fast asleep when the tusker breached a five-inch concrete wall and barged into her dwelling..
“The locals tried to chase away the rogue elephant, but to no avail. The tusker simply crushed the elderly woman to death,” said Inspector at Itahari Area Police Station, Kundan Dev. Bikram Rai, 13, received serious injuries in the attack.
Surya Bhandari, 45, of Belbari VDC meet a similar fate on January 9 when a tusker emerged from the nearby forest and attacked.
Just a few days ago, 12-year-old Suman Limbu of Mahendranagar-4 was also crushed to death by tusker. The boy breathed his last while being rushed to the nearest medical centre. Sunsari District Forest Office has identified the other injured victims as Manmaya Basnet, 60; Kopila Katwal, 32; Kamal Dahal, 30; and Chanchal BK, 30 of the same area.
Hoards of tuskers migrating from India have turned up in the Bahundada area of Jhapa district. The tuskers that have been unleashing their havoc in other districts such as Morang, Saptari and Udayapur are local tuskers from within Nepal.