At least 3 wild jumbos wreak havoc in Cooch Behar and Alipurduar

Three wild elephants roaming freely in human habitat in broad daylight wreaked havoc on houses and injured cattle on Wednesday in Dolong Tea Garden and Boulpari area, adjacent to Latapata in Mathabhanga-II block.

The elephants were first spotted at around 5 am. They vandalised the houses of Madan Barman and Ramchandra Barman. A cow was also injured in the melee.

Personnel from the Mathabhanga Forest dmanaged to drive the elephants towards Chilapata Forest. Madan, a local resident, recounted his experience, saying: “In the morning, I heard that elephants entered the area and later, I saw them right in front of my house. They vandalised my house and damaged everything inside. I hope that the government will provide compensation for this.” Meanwhile, the three elephants moved on to Falakata-II Gram Panchayat in Alipurduar where they damaged paddy fields.

According to the Forest department, the movement of these elephants is being closely monitored, and plans are in place to guide them back to the forest.