Herd of wild elephants destroys crops at Roumari

The herd of Indian wild elephants living in the forest in Garo Hill is eating and destroying crops at the border in Roumari, Kurigram. Every night a group of wild elephants cross the Kalaichar border and enter the country. Then they destroyed various crops including the ripe paddy field. The victims are failing to chase away the elephants by playing drums and lighting fires.

According to the information given by the victims, 25-30 wild elephants are eating and destroying the crops of the surrounding areas including Algarchar, Khewarchar, Bakbanda, Jhaubari, Chuliarchar, and Baraibari char of Roumari Upazila. As a result, the farmers have suffered extreme losses by losing their crops.

Farmers said that every night these wild elephants cross the border and enter the country. After damaging the crops overnight, they moved to No Man’s Land on the border in the morning. Effective steps need to be taken to stop elephants from entering the border for crop and livestock security.

Roumari Upazila Agriculture Officer Shahriar Hossain said we are advising the farmers to cut the ripe paddy and take it home due to the wild elephant violence in Roumari. So far, work is underway to regulate the number of crops damaged by the elephant.

Roumari UNO Al Imran said that steps have been taken to drive away elephants locally to prevent the entry of wild elephants and to protect farmers’ crops. Besides, the border guards and the concerned departments have been informed.