KUMUD JENAMANI
Jamshedpur, April 12: A herd of wild elephants has crossed over to Jharkhand in the Ghatsila sub-division from the neighbouring Bengal on Thursday night.
The herd which includes three calves seems to be very aggressive, causing the villagers to remain in fear of imminent danger.
Comprised of about 15 elephants, the herd has entered into the Darisole forest area from the Bengal Chichra area in the night.
Vehicular communication affected for a while
As the national highway passes through the Darisole forest area, the herd has even made its presence felt on the national highway today, causing vehicular communication to be affected for some time.
As a result of the arrival of so many elephants in the Bankatia jungle, the villagers have stopped venturing out of their homes in fear of unseen danger.
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Elephant overturns autorickshaw
Moreover, one of the elephants from the herd overturned an autorickshaw at Darisole on Thursday night. The autorickshaw driver was carrying tent-house items with three tent-house workers aboard the vehicle when the elephant suddenly appeared in front of the vehicle.
The driver and the staff somehow saved their lives by fleeing the spot leaving the vehicle abandoned. The elephant had subsequently overturned the autorickshaw by using its trunk.
Darisole forest area habitat of elephants, says forest officer
The apprehensive villagers are demanding the forest department to drive the elephants away from the human habitat.
Knowledgeable sources said that any elephant herd remains aggressive if it is inclusive of calves.
Jamshedpur divisional forest officer, Mamta Priyadarshi confirmed about the arrival of the elephant herd in Darisole, but she denied any help from the department.
“Darisole forest area is a habitat of the elephants. How can we take any initiative to drive the elephants away from their natural habitat,” said Priyadarshi while replying to the queries made by The Jharkhand Story on Friday.
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