E-Paper
Minor girl trampled to death by herd of wild elephants in Assam’s Baksa
The human-elephant conflict is on a rise in Assam. State forest minister Chandra Mohan Patowary in the state assembly last week said that more than 70 humans and 80 elephants die every year on average in the human-elephant conflict in Assam
A seven-year-old girl and another minor girl sustained injuries in Assam’s Baksa district after coming under attack by a herd of wild elephants on Sunday, police said.
Police said the incident took at the Goreswar area on Sunday morning.
The father of the minor deceased girl said that a group of wild elephants charged at their residence and destroyed the banana plants, and other trees and also tried to enter the house.
He said that his elder daughter managed to escape but the younger daughter was trampled and lost her life.
Also Read: Protest in Idukki after operation to capture rogue elephant stayed by Kerala HC
The injured girl was taken to a local hospital and later shifted to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), police said.
The human-elephant conflict is on a rise in Assam. State forest minister Chandra Mohan Patowary in the state assembly last week said that more than 70 humans and 80 elephants die every year on average in the human-elephant conflict in Assam.
On March 21, 40-year-old Mohan Teron from the Nagaon district was killed after wild elephants attacked him. Police said Teron was returning home on a cycle through a forest area when he was attacked by the herd.
In February, an Indian Army jawan lost his life after he was attacked by a wild elephant inside the Narengi cantonment area in Assam’s Guwahati.
In January last year, a herd of wild elephants attacked vehicles plying on state highway 12 at Lakhipur in Assam’s Goalpara district and killed three persons including a toddler while in a second incident in the same district, a forest department employee was killed in an attack by a wild elephant at Solmari
As per the data shared by the minister, the elephant population in the state is over 5,700 and 1,330 elephants have died between 2001 and 2022. With 107 reported cases, 2013 saw the highest number of deaths, followed by 2016 With 97 cases, and 2014 with 92.
Also Read: Seven elephants died in March in Odisha, highest in last 3 years
The minister said that 509 died elephants died due to natural causes, 261 succumbed to unknown reasons, 202 were electrocuted, 102 died in train accidents, 65 were killed due to poisoning, 40 were poached and 18 after being hit by lightning.
He said that encroachment on forest lands is the main cause of the human-elephant conflict.
“We humans are occupying the natural habitats of elephants which is forcing the wild animals to move out in search of food. This is causing their conflict with the humans,” he said, replying to a question by Congress legislator Rekibuddin Ahmed.
The minister informed that the state government has paid about ₹8-9 crore in compensation for damages caused by the wild elephants in recent years.
