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Tusker fear, folks on night vigil
JHAPA, MAY 30 -
Arjun Karki spends sleepless nights on the bank of Mechi River. He is neither a tramp nor is he trying to stay cool in the hot summer times, but under sheer compulsion he keeps vigil throughout nights.
Karki, a resident of Bahundangi Bazaar, and his friends gather at the river bank after late night lunch till the crack of dawn to keep wild elephants at bay.
They press themselves into this new found duty in the wake of terror unleashed by tuskers from neighbouring Indian villages.
“We are duty bound to stand on the river bank in nights being armed with torches to prevent wild tuskers from wreaking havoc. This has been our routine for years,” said Karki.
As elephants descend on Tukre forest across the Mechi, locals make loud sounds to chase away them. In case locals skip a night vigil, the same night elephants enter their village and the next day they have to count the cost.
“We don’t sleep a wink at nights from May to October. There is no alternative but to chase away tuskers to protect crops,” said Karki.
Every year, herds of elephants from India intrude into Nepali territory and run amok in Nepali villages.
The giant mammalvisitors destroy crops and even trample people to death. Elephant attacks claimed 26 lives within two decades in the village alone.
Villagers have complained the authorities concerned have been unsuccessful to find out an effective way to address elephant menace. The much-hyped electric fencing project that the government commenced in coordination with District Development Committee, Jhapa, has not solved the problem.
District Forest Officer Sudhir Koirala admitted that the authorities have failed to get to the bottom of the problem.
“The problem can not be completely rooted out, only it can be minimised,” he said. Nepali people would be less affected if the Indian side looks into the matter, he said.
The forest office and police have been assisting the locals in chasing away elephants.
Posted on: 2010-05-31 08:01
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