Jamshedpur: A herd of nine wild elephants is on a rampaging spree at places like Chandil and Kanderbera in the Seraikela-Kharsawan district.
The herd which has come from Chaibasa forest has destroyed as many as eight houses in Dobo, Pardih, Kanderbera and Chandil during the past one week. Apart from damaging houses, the elephants have also destroyed over five acres of paddy crops in these areas.
Forest range officer Ashok Kumar said that the period from October to March is migration period of wild elephants, they had engaged a team of mahouts from Palna near Chandil for keeping the elephants away from the human habitats.
“However, due to Tusu festival began from January 15, all the mahouts abandoned their work and returned home, leaving the villages falling under Chandil forest range at the mercy of the migratory elephants,” said Kumar.
The ranger officer pointed out in the wee hours today the elephants herd has damaged two houses at Dharnigora village near Dobo and destroyed two acres of paddy field. Villagers were just silent spectatres as the wild elephants were in a rampaging spree at Dharnigora village. Kumar said concerned with the elephant menace, he had sent message to the Mahouts so as to return to their work.
Meanwhile people are in state of havoc due to such menace. Sometimes villagers migrate to safer places for a week or more to avoid the sudden night-time attacks of the wild elephant herds.
There are about three more villagers who have fallen victim to the wild elephants who love to eat the young paddy field. After the trampling of the crops, the people of adjoining villagers are apprehensive of similar phenomena at the paddy field in their villages and are mobilised supports to take preventive measures before it is too late.
�Though the tuskers have left from our village but we are forced to spend sleepless nights. Our lives are at risk due to rampaging elephants. Elephants regularly venture into villages, destroy houses, damage standing crops and even trample people to death. We are forced to work like a �night guard� to save our lives and crops� said a villager.