A CORRESPONDENT
KHERONI: The human-elephant conflict in the Kheroni area under the Southern Forest Range, Kheroni, of the West Karbi Anglong district, has taken a severe and alarming turn, with a herd of approximately 150 wild elephants creating widespread panic day and night.
What were once peaceful paddy fields have now become roaming grounds for the massive herd. Instead of narrow pathways between ripening paddy crops, residents now witness long lines of wild elephants moving through the sugarcane fields. For more than a month, local farmers and villagers have been forced to stay awake all night to guard their homes and crops from the marauding elephants.
The herd has caused extensive damage: devastating mature paddy crops, destroying vegetable fields, sugarcane, valuable trees & plants, demolishing homes, and flattening stored grain. Several families have lost their houses completely. Tragically, a young woman named Khusbu Rajbhar lost her life in a recent elephant attack.
The presence of the elephants has also severely disrupted normal life. Movement of vehicles, including ambulances carrying patients at night, has become extremely risky. The herd has split into several smaller groups and is now scattered across villages and roads in Kheroni and its adjacent areas, creating an atmosphere of constant fear.
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