Elephants destroy crops, houses in Raigarh

Raigarh | Correspondent: As the elephant population rises in Chhattisgarh's Raigarh district, the terror they inflict upon rural areas is intensifying. On Tuesday night, separate herds of wild elephants wreaked havoc across the Dharamjaygarh Forest Division. Venturing out of the forests towards settlements and farmlands, these elephants trampled and completely destroyed the ready-to-harvest paddy crops of over 18 farmers.

Furthermore, the elephants demolished the mud houses of three villagers and damaged sacks of grain stored inside. A sense of panic has gripped the villagers following the incident, while a Forest Department team is currently visiting the affected areas to assess the extent of the damage.

Upon realizing what was happening, villagers spent the night trying to drive the elephants away by making noise, yet the herds remained in the vicinity of the fields and residential areas until late into the night.

The affected areas include the Dharamjaygarh, Boro, and Kapu ranges. In the Ruaful area of ​​the Boro range, a herd of 16 elephants rampaged through the fields of farmers such as Ganesh, Muni, and Patras Kerketta. Meanwhile, in the Alola and Putukchhar beats of the Kapu range, two separate herds totaling around 29 elephants ruined the hard work of about a dozen farmers, including Tiharu, Ghur Singh, Baleshwar, Ajit, and Santosh.

During this time, elephants also broke down the walls of mud houses belonging to villagers like Amichand and Santosh in the Potia and Putukchhar beats.

Currently, a total of 170 elephants have been recorded across the combined Raigarh and Dharamjaygarh Forest Divisions, with 103 elephants camped in Dharamjaygarh alone. The herds comprise males, females, and calves, significantly heightening the risk of attacks.

Driven by a scarcity of food in the forests and constantly shifting migratory paths, these elephants are frequently venturing into human settlements. Although the Forest Department claims that every herd of elephants is being constantly monitored and that villagers in affected areas are being alerted through public announcements, the villagers remain deeply concerned about the safety of their lives, property, and crops due to these frequent attacks.