Picture Courtesy: Desuup Gem Gyeltshen
This time, it was in Pemathang. On Sunday morning, a herd of 15 wild elephants damaged a store and banana trees belonging to one of the residents, Gopal Karki.
“An elephant came straight into the parking area and broke open the storehouse. It took the cattle feed stored inside.”
He added that after a while, other elephants came in and ate the feed.
“The herd left at around 3.30AM.”
On the same day, a lone elephant broke into a house in Lekeythang, another village in Gelegphu gewog. The incident happened at around 4AM.
Prem Bahadhur Kharka was sleeping with his family when a loud noise woke them up.
“An elephant had entered my drawing-room after breaking open the main door.”
“I couldn’t find anything, so I threw bags at it. The elephant was inside the room for about five to six minutes,” he added.
The Gelegphu Gewog and Thromde residents said wild elephants have started visiting the areas after every two to three days. After a gap of around two years, the tuskers reappeared last month. They said their numbers have increased as well.
“They are no longer afraid of the tactics we use to scare them away, such as shouting or using firecrackers,” a resident said.
Another resident, Parshuram Karki added that it is difficult to chase the elephants away.
“When we chase one, there are more waiting to retaliate.”
Last month, wild elephants attacked two warehouses at the Industrial Service Centre in the Thromde and damaged goods worth almost Nu. 0.2 M
They also attacked a labour camp in the area and left it partially damaged. The occupants escaped unhurt.
Recently, in broad daylight, a herd of elephants blocked the Gelegphu – Sarpang highway near the domestic airport for almost an hour and a half.
As an immediate intervention, forestry officials have been helping the residents chase away the wild elephants every time they receive a call for help.
The officials are stationed at the range office every night to provide support. They said they are doing everything within their means to counter the problem, and it is a daunting task.
As per the law, it is illegal to kill or cause physical harm to elephants.
Meanwhile, for the residents, as much as they understand the challenges, they are desperate for the problem’s solutions. And so far, there has been none.
Karma Wangdi, Sarpang
Edited by Sonam Wangdi
