Officers alerted locals of the growing assaults by elephants within the neighborhood.
A 63-year-old farmer died after he was attacked by a herd of elephants in Assam’s Boko district on Wednesday, officers mentioned. The incident happened when the farmer, Warlington W Sangma, was guarding his paddy subject from the elephants in Tangabari in Jongakhuli reserve forest.
In keeping with the villagers, the wild elephants trampled and dragged Sangma across the paddy subject for a couple of minutes, leading to his dying.
The sufferer was a resident of Rajapara, close to Jongakhuli village, officers mentioned.
The Boko Police and members of the Singra Forest Vary have recovered the sufferer’s physique and despatched it for postmortem.
Following the incident, officers made bulletins on loudspeakers round a number of areas, alerting the locals of the growing assaults by elephants.
“We additionally urged the villagers to clear the paths which wild elephants use to commute, in order that the conflicts will likely be decreased,” Singra Ranger Bhargab Hazarika mentioned.
In keeping with West Kamrup DFO Subodh Talukdar, the assaults by the tuskers are rising because of the encroachment within the reserve forest land.
“Villagers at the moment are beginning deforestation of the forest land and horticulture crops like banana, battle nuts, pineapples and likewise cultivating paddy within the paddy land underneath the forest reserve areas. Attributable to this, wild elephants undergo from meals shortage and enter the farmlands located within the forest lands,” Mr Talukdar mentioned.
He added, “Now the scenario is extra grim as a result of individuals are demanding to enact the Forest Rights Act 2006. We’ve got to survey the entire space in order that we are able to discover out the encroachments within the reserve forest space and take obligatory motion accordingly.”
On Tuesday, the bodies of two elephants have been present in two totally different locations underneath the West Kamrup Divisional Forest space within the Kamrup district. Villagers from Pakharapara and close by areas underneath the Singra Vary Workplace in Boko discovered the our bodies in a paddy subject, officers mentioned.
As per the preliminary investigation, the elephants have been suspected to be electrocuted – an unlawful technique used to chase wild elephants with a purpose to defend their farms.
The state forest workforce additionally discovered some supplies used for electrocution from the spot.