Attempt to scare elephant herd away failed

JORHAT, Dec 3: More than 300 villagers including forest personnel who had gathered to drive away the wild elephant herd at Dhekiakhowa failed in their attempt as the herd of elephants which had been spotted at Kakojanati entered dense foliage and swamp land and then disappeared.

Diganta Saikia, one of the group of men said that at 6.30 pm, the sounds of grunting and trumpeting of the herd could be heard but it was impossible to enter the area because of wetland overgrown with water hyacinth and other weeds.

“We are unsure as to which direction the herd should be chased and although we are armed with torches and fire crackers and the guards with weapons, we cannot enter the area because of swamps which could be dangerous for our lives”, Diganta Saikia said.

At about 7 pm, the group could not hear a single sound of the herd which seemed to have completely disappeared.

Saikia further said that, another attempt would be made tomorrow at 2.30 pm.

Yesterday, 25 men each from 10 villages which were facing relentless elephant depredations for several years had gathered to chase away the herd to a distant place with the help of forest guards.

It may be mentioned that, a public meeting had been called at Dhekiakhowa recently and the decision to drive the herd to Kaziranga or some other place was taken at this meeting. THE SENTINEL