IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT

When the entire world was crying over the Mumbai bomb blasts that claimed hundreds of innocent lives, a sleepy, nondescript hamlet in Siliguri had its own sad story to tell. But the tragedy of these villagers, though not of the same dimension as the Mumbai massacre, simply went unheard. Unlike the blood thirsty terrorists who planted bombs in the busy suburban railway network in the country’s financial capital, the villains here ~ in Mallevita village in Simulbari area ~ were tuskers, wild elephants who were on their way in search of food.The night of 13th July will always be remembered by every child in Mallevita. It was the fatal night when a herd of more than 30 elephants invaded the village and destroyed more than 30 houses.Not only were people injured but houses attacked and grains destroyed and eaten by the pachyderms. Basanti Nagosia, whose only property was her house, was perhaps the worst affected ~ her house was completely destroyed by the wild attackers. She said: “The night proved to be fatal for us. It was around 9 pm and was raining very heavily when we heard people running out of their houses. When we came out, we saw that a large herd of elephants was entering the village.”Basanti and the others rushed to the nearby church to save their lives, leaving behind their houses at the mercy of the tuskers.More than five quintals of rice was eaten up by the elephants who also destroyed the villagers’ cooking utensils, said Basanti, a tea plucker in the Simulbar tea estate. Ukil Karwa had his own sorrowful tale to narrate. Karwa, who works as a domestic help in the nearby Army camp, had never seen such destruction by tuskers before. “I have been staying in this village for many years and have seen elephant attacks many times in the past. But this time, the damage is immense,” said Ukil, awaiting compensation from the forest department so that he could rebuild his house.The villagers whose houses have been destroyed have temporarily shifted to the church building. But now even the church authorities have asked to them to vacate the premises and go back to their “homes”. Many have, however, received some money from the local government body and five kilos of rice each from the tea garden management.A similar tale of destruction was narrated by the villagers of Kariabari. Three houses were damaged on 14 July when a wild tusker crept into the area in the early hours of dawn.Elephants attacking the region ~ and injuring people and destroying property ~ is not a new phenomenon. Umpteen cases of man-elephant conflict have been recorded in these areas, and while in some cases humans end up losing their lives, in the others the tuskers breathe their last.According to the elephant census of 2000, almost 3000 elephants live in the forests of North Bengal. And as per sources, an average of 50 people and 10 elephants are killed in this human-beast conflict almost every year.The elephants succumb to their injuries inflicted by humans when they attack settlements. Worse still, they are also killed by poachers for their tusks. Again, there are instances when they are found dead on railway tracks after being hit by speeding trains.Much has been said about the man-elephant conflict and wild life activists, too, cry themselves hoarse over the issue of poachers and train accidents. But ultimately, it all comes to naught. Every year the same story is repeated and the loss of elephants and human life and property continues.Pondering over why elephants have increased their forays into human habitations, there is only one answer: perhaps these animals are retaliating against people intruding into their domain. In other words, the areas once considered animal kingdom are now occupied by humans. Forests are being chopped off indiscriminately and resources widely misused. Hence, these beasts are forced to move out of their “homes” and enter those of humans.Elephants, by nature, move from one place to another in search of food and when they come across human settlements on the way, they enter the same, said wild life activist Aniruddha Bose. He further pointed out to the problem of deforestation. “Roads, villages and Army cantonments have been set up in forest areas and this has become the main reason for the man-animal tussle in the region,” he said.Although the problem may seem elephantine, there is a solution to it ~ creating mass awareness. Such awareness drives, however, should be area-specific, said Mr Bose. “Most of the time, these campaigns are carried out in the urban areas and this does not help in any way. Awareness drives should be conducted in places where the man-elephant conflict occurs,” he said.Another step to be taken in this regard is that the relocation of settlements in forest areas. The department officials should take steps to transfer the people staying in forests, said Mr Bose.