Chakulia farmers apprehensive of wild elephants’ presence

Mail News Service
Chakulia, Oct 6: Farmers in Chakulia are worried due to the presence of wild elephants in the area. According to reports the pachyderms have been wandering in the region and causing destruction to rice crops in fields.
Over the past couple of days, 12 wild elephants have been seen around Bend, a Block situated near the West Bengal border. These elephants have trampled rice fields of several farmers. It has also been reported that several elephants have been spotted in the jungle near the airstrip area, which is close to the Purnapani village. Farmers are concerned about the presence of these elephants as it often leads to significant losses in rice cultivation.
The basic causes of loss for rice cultivators are that these wild elephant herds eat the standing rice crops and trample the rest. Wild elephant herds have been a cause of apprehension for farmers for over five years as they have incurred losses due to destruction of their standing crops which also include bamboo rhizomes’ cultivation.