Ravenous Elephant Herd Halts Traffic on NH-39 at Numaligarh, Sparks Panic in Nearby Villages

A CORRESPONDENT

NUMALIGARH: In search of food, a herd of ravenous wild elephants today blocked National Highway 39 at Numaligarh, bringing vehicular traffic to a standstill for a short period. The gentle giants, however, crossed the national highway after a while. Pedestrians, two-wheelers and four-wheelers were forced to stop on both sides of the road until the herd passed safely.

For the past several days, the elephants have been creating panic in the Letekujan Tea Estate area as well as along the Prime Minister's Rural Road connecting to the Numaligarh Refinery.

The herd moved from Letekujan Tea Estate, crossed National Highway 39 and proceeded towards Bokial earlier in the day. In search of food, the elephants have been venturing out of the forest and entering populated areas of Morangi Mouza, causing fear among local residents.

Residents have urged the Forest Department to take immediate measures to drive the herd back into the forest and prevent further human-elephant conflict.

In a related incident, the wild elephants uprooted and damaged young neem saplings along Neem Ali Road.

Also Read: Wild Elephant Strays onto Road in Numaligarh, Damages Scooter and Disrupts Traffic