Assam: 7 Houses Damaged in Biswanath after Wild Elephant Goes on Rampage

Biswanath, August 26, 2019:

Yet another man-elephant conflict has been reported in Biswanath district of Assam. In a sensational incident, seven families lost their houses when a wild elephant went on a rampage and destroying properties. The incident happened in Monabari village of Biswanath district in Assam.

Locals have alleged that this is happening because of the negligence of the Forest Officials. The locals have further urged the local administration to look into the issue, and ensure that such incidents do not happen in the future.

According to wildlife activists, a rise in the encroachment of forest areas has caused habitat loss, forcing the pachyderms to come down to the plains in search of food and water, which has caused human deaths including the destruction of houses and crops.

When elephants and humans interact, there is conflict from crop raiding, injuries and deaths to humans caused by elephants, and elephants being killed by humans for reasons other than ivory and habitat degradation.

Aaranyak, a wildlife conservation NGO based in Guwahati, recently called the state government to declare the man-elephant conflict a disaster, as done by Uttar Pradesh government and work out a multi-agency strategy to reduce the problem.

Many these casualties have been reported from the districts of Sonitpur, Udalguri, Baksa, Golaghat, Nagaon, Goalpara and Karbi Anglong.

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